#mechanical engineering winter internships

[dedeinthewild]

I swear there was a request, and not even god knows why tumblr keeps making me lose them... so if you recognize your idea, I hope I did that justice!

ralf aron x reader, friends to lovers

“That’s an odd way to button a shirt,”

summary : Ralf drives hours to see his friend get ready for the Prema gala. Amid playful moments and sweet glances, he reveals a big change—making the night unforgettable.

The end of the season was a clear indicator that Prema would soon host its annual gala, shortly after the masquerade party they had attended the previous week, dressed as the Man with the Yellow Hat and Professor Wiseman.

It was one of those times when they both realized what a wonderful environment the team created, with classic Italian hospitality and old-fashioned passion fueling every single member.

But deep down, she wasn’t a big fan of parties, with all the fancy dresses and overpowering perfumes—except for the part where pandoro and panettone flowed freely. Ralf had convinced her to go to the gala together, blocking her from attending with any other colleague and promising he wouldn’t be scandalized if she decided to show up in pajamas.

However, he certainly didn’t expect to actually see her like that when he pulled up outside her house, revving the engine of the car a mechanic had lent him as he parked along the curb. While getting ready, he’d had some doubts about the tailored suit he’d chosen, even getting into a minor argument with Paul about who would wear the bow tie and who would stick with the necktie.

Ralf liked to calculate everything, to plan things out and follow his schedule point by point—although, unlike the girl, he didn’t panic when something didn’t go as expected.

“Ralf?” She leaned out from her balcony, her hair wrapped in a towel and a cozy pair of pajamas on, frowning down at him.

“You’re not in what I thought you’d be in,” she said, noticing he was wearing a simple pair of sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt.

“You’re exactly in what I thought you’d be,” the driver laughed, his hands in his pockets as he fiddled with the car keys.

“Come in, it’s open.”

The two had met in Grisignano on a crisp winter day when Angelina, the media coordinator for the team, introduced the new social media administrator to everyone. For her, it was supposed to be just a few months’ internship, enough to save up some money for university. But her love for the team had made her stay.

The Estonian made his way into her house, carrying the hangers he’d brought along as if he hadn’t already packed half his wardrobe into the car before driving to her place.

“What made you drive three hours to get here?” she asked, kissing his cheek in their usual greeting before taking the clothes from him and hanging them on a railing upstairs.

“I had a little misplan,” the driver said, smiling at her.

“The independent and emancipated Ralf Aron struggles with picking an outfit?” she teased.

“You’re not doing much better yourself,” he joked back.

A few slightly damp strands of hair escaped the towel wrapped around her head, brushing against her forehead as she tried to tidy up the chaotic mess reigning in her tiny Italian kitchen. Between university handouts and Christmas gift-wrapping paper scattered everywhere, the chaos mirrored a part of her personality. Yes, she liked order. Her small desk back in Grisignano was always spotless. But deep down, there was a rebellious side of her that loved disorder—often hidden behind her huge, dazzling smile. And she was smiling now, as Ralf recounted what had happened with his younger brother.

“He stole my lucky collared shirt, so now I don’t know how to match the suit.”

“Is that why you’re my favorite?” she asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed.

“Marcus is going to hear about this.”

They headed toward the bedroom, the most spacious room in the small apartment she’d moved into when she decided she was grown-up enough to leave the nest. The large mirrored wardrobe reflected the image of two young people far removed from the world of motorsports. Neither carried the weight of work on their shoulders, and they were smiling—especially because, for the first time, they found themselves together in an unexpectedly different context.

“But tell me, did you seriously drive three hours just because your brother messed with your outfit plans?”

“I like driving,” he shrugged, as if that were explanation enough. “Besides, how else did you think I’d get here in time?”

“There’s this wonderful invention called the train,” she joked, pulling out the dress a friend had bought for her to wear to the gala and hanging it next to Ralf’s options. It was a striking blue dress that fell gracefully, with beautiful bell sleeves in a midnight blue hue.

“That’s quite the dress,” the driver said.

“Is it too much?”

He shook his head, following her into the bathroom to help her gather everything she needed to get ready as they chatted about the evening’s plans.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll dry my hair,” she said with one of her sweet smiles.

“Got it.” But instead of sitting down, Ralf walked up behind her, gently taking the towel off her head and running his fingers through her still-damp hair. He bent down to grab a comb and carefully worked it through her hair, undoing any tangles so she could dry it more easily. She felt his fingertips lightly brushing against the side of her neck as he combed, and a small smile spread across her lips. Such a simple act felt like an enormous show of affection.

“I can do it myself, you know.”

“I know you don’t trust anyone else, if that’s what you mean.”

Over the years they’d known each other, Ralf had tried to ease her controlling tendencies—the part of her that insisted on handling everything herself. Apparently, she hadn’t changed much.

He liked how his fingers unintentionally grazed her soft skin as he combed her hair, which she always took great care of. The domestic intimacy of the moment both calmed and stirred a thousand thoughts in his mind.

Ralf wanted to savor these last moments with her, something weighing on his mind that he couldn’t yet share with her—because admitting it would mean acknowledging that the carefree days of filming YouTube videos together and walking the track side by side were coming to an end. Perhaps, deep down, he hoped that by delaying it, things might somehow turn out differently—that nothing between them would truly end, even if their dynamic changed.

“Is something bothering you?” she asked, looking at him through the mirror as she removed her pajamas and applied cream to her skin, watching him purse his lips and brush her hair with such tender care. He’d let his hair grow longer, and the blond locks had become much curlier, framing his distinctive face. The T-shirt he wore highlighted his solid build, reminding her of his profession as a driver.

“I’m alright,” he said with a smile, moving around to stand in front of her and using a round brush to shape the ends of her hair as if he were a professional stylist. When his eyes met hers, he smiled again, forgetting for a moment that his impromptu decision would cost him another three hours of driving, not to mention the long gala ahead at the Prema headquarters.

“Your turn now,” she said, taking a scented oil from the bathroom drawer where she kept her hair products. She made him sit so she could run her hands through his golden curls, smoothing them and leaving behind a faint, pleasant fragrance.

“I’d go for the bow tie and that white shirt,” she suggested, imagining how it would look under the high-quality suit hanging next to her dress.

“I feel like it’s too big,” the blond driver said, checking the size of the shirt.

“This one? It’s perfect,” she said, picking out a beautiful shirt with faint gray stripes that were barely visible unless in direct sunlight. The fabric felt heavenly, and she knew it would complement his striking blue eyes perfectly.

“Let’s try it,” he said, crossing his hands to pull off his T-shirt and unbuckling his belt before slipping into the shirt, fastening it starting from the middle.

“That’s an odd way to button a shirt,” she laughed, watching him get dressed.

“Don’t judge me, miss,” he replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“How on earth did you plan to take a train in that dress? It would’ve been the most uncomfortable thing ever.”

She pressed her lips together to evenly spread the lip balm she’d just applied. Not a big fan of makeup, she preferred a light and natural look.

“It probably would’ve been wrinkled by the time I arrived, but who cares?” she smiled.

Ralf checked his watch, noting they still had about half an hour before they needed to leave to be on time for the gala. He shook his head at how impractical she could be. And if anyone cared, it was him. He wanted her to see herself as the stunning woman she was—without wrinkles or the grime of Italian train lines. He wanted her to be comfortable enough to fully enjoy the gala. Their last one together.

Selfishly, he didn’t want her to go with anyone else. He wanted to be the one by her side, not one of her teammates or mechanics with whom she’d become close friends. Getting ready with her, seeing her so at ease despite the occasion, was priceless.

He watched her disappear into the bathroom to slip into her dress while he changed into his trousers and fastened his belt. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he caught sight of his blue eyes—eyes she always complimented—and realized that coming all this way might have been a bold move, something he could’ve spared himself.

“Need anything?” she called from the bathroom.

“A chewing gum, if you’ve got one.”

And then she emerged, her breathing a little shallow—nervous, perhaps, that she’d overdone it and made herself look ridiculous in his eyes.

Ralf opened his mouth to say something, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt, but the words caught in his throat. His freshly shaved face, framed by soft red lips, seemed momentarily stunned.

There she stood, her medium height and figure (which she didn’t particularly like) wrapped in the dress like water. The midnight blue fabric reached her collarbones, where a modest round neckline exposed her neck, and cascaded down to her ankles, where a pair of modest black heels gave her a slight lift. The way she smiled shyly, her wavy hair cascading down her back, and her hesitant movements—those were the things that filled him with an inexplicable warmth.

“That’s not what I expected,” he said quietly, memorizing every fold of the dress, the rings she wore, and the subtle perfume she carried.

“Guess I managed to surprise you,” she replied, her smile still uncertain.

She was so beautiful. So stunning that the hours spent driving had been worth it. Even if the dress wrinkled on the Porsche’s seat and the journey ahead was still long, that moment only solidified one thing for him: She was something. Something he still needed to define.

She handed him the pack of gum before tidying up everything they’d used, noticing they had little time left. So, she picked up Ralf’s suit jacket, draping it over his shoulders as she stood behind him, gazing at his bright eyes in the mirror.

“Maybe Paul has your lucky shirt, but I doubt he’ll look this good,” she teased, smoothing the jacket over his biceps so everything was perfectly in place.

Ralf was speechless.

Because in that moment, the gala, Paul, and the team were the furthest things from his mind.

They loaded the car with what Ralf had brought, adding a few cookies she’d offered him before he started driving down the lane to the main road. She stayed behind to greet a family member.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh clad in the black suit, his shiny loafers ready to go, Ralf hummed a tune in his head and watched people pass by.

He stepped out of the car, locking it and pacing a little while waiting for her, noticing how the Italians around him made comments about his stylish shirt. But even with all the compliments, he didn’t feel complete.

Because he wasn’t standing next to that blue dress. That shy smile. And the slight veil of mascara on her clean face.

He couldn’t stay still. He had to tell her before they reached the gala so she could enjoy the evening peacefully.

“I’m leaving Prema,” he said. “Well, the racing side of it. I’ll stay on as Paul’s manager.”

She furrowed her brows, hearing him, as she walked up behind him.

“You’re leaving?”

Deep down, she knew nothing would change. Not in that moment. Not at the gala, as they danced, her small hands clasped behind his neck. Not years later, when Ralf won the GT World Cup in Asia, and she stood beneath the podium, a more confident smile on her face and a special ring on her finger.

Because that day, Ralf had been a little cryptic.

But from that moment on, he made things clear.

He wanted to dry her hair every time she washed it and feel her hands in his now-longer hair, leaving behind her scent.

my 2020ish prema era awakening has been huge (maybe it's even an understatement), and I finally finished the first half of the school year so maybe I'll relax and write more :)

I'm lazy so it's not proofread and there might be a few errors, but I really hope you like it 🍀

[engineering-physics]

🪐 alice, she/her

📠 2nd year undergrad engineering + physics

🔬currently: on break!

more info + navigation under the cut

hey guys, i'm alice!

current schedule: fall 2024

🔬computational dynamics - done!

🔬computational statics - done!

🔬 engineering mathematics III - done!

🔬 analog & digital circuits - done!

🔬 force & fear, crime & punishment - done!

🔬 engineering and society - done!

upcoming schedule: winter 2025

🔬 engineering mathematics IV

🔬 quantum mechanics

🔬 computational multiphysics

🔬 electricity & magnetism

🔬 bioethics

🔬 engineering communications & social impact

goals for 2025

🪐prioritize things beneficial for me

🪐 spend more time studying italian

🪐 go to the gym consistently

🪐 get above a 7 in all my winter classes

🪐 pass all midterms

🪐 attend all classes

🪐 journal regularly

🪐 apply for an internship/research opportunity/executive technical club position, basically just get myself out there!!

2025 counters

🏆weeks in a row of gym 2x + pilates 3x: 0

🏆 books read: 0

🏆 hours of focused italian studies: 0

tags for navigation

#alicetalks - the occasional life update

#alicestudies - photos of my notes, assignments, formula sheets

#alicewrites - writings will go here

#alicedoesntstudy - non-school-related posts

[randomuniversityquotes]

Just finished up the semester and boy am I not doing great. Another semester, another struggle. I managed to pass everything far better than expected, except for my diffy q's class. I was 2% from the C I needed and I am so mad a C- won't do it, but I know understanding the material better through retaking the class will only benefit me in the future. And having gone through the class once will definitely put me ahead and basically guarantees a pass if I work for it. Not everyone passes the first time, second time, or even the third time, and I'm just going to have to be okay with it and readjust. And it's the hardest math I'll ever have to do, so I'm more than happy to take my time since I appearantly have to lol. I'm still hoping to get out of here in May 2027 at the latest.

Other than that, I picked up a year long internship last semester at our career fair and will be working part time until summer hits, then I'll go for full time. I'm so excited to get industry experience! And getting an internship as a first semester Sophomore was crazy, I'm so so grateful.

My final grades were as follows:

Physics II (and lab): A (easy with no exams)

Mechanics of Materials: B+ (surprisingly I did more than barely pass (so thankful for the open note exams))

Differential Equations: C- (still upset that I have to retake it but I'm going to do better no matter what)

Spanish 4: A (no hablo muy bien español, pero mi participación y uso de duolingo fue suficiente. no más clases de español para mi.)

Engineering Computations: A- (considering that the second half of the semester was kicking my ass, this was a pleasant surprise)

(~16ish credits)

My new classes are:

Engineering Statistics

Dynamics

Differential Equations (again)

Computer Science in C/C++ (lecture and lab)

CAD Design II (lab)

(~15ish credits)

I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming semester. My schedule looks way better than the last semester's and the spring will definitely be easier to function in than this trippy winter weather. I'll get through this and build my skills until I can officially call myself an engineer one day. I have my doubts after my failure to pass diffy q's the first time, but so many successful people have failed engineering classes before making it, and maybe this just has to be my wake-up call. I'm not stupid and I'm capable of doing great things even if it feels like it's lifetimes ahead of me right now. I just have to actually work for it instead of relying on my natural intelligence and insane academic luck. Suffering is the life of the engineering student after all, better own it 😅

That's it for this update, thanks for sticking around with me on this journey! Stay tuned for the rest of the quotes from this semester and whatever else comes next!

[mani022blogs]

Maple Dreams and Global Degrees: Why Indian Students Thrive in Canada

When Indian students dream of studying abroad, many immediately think of North America. But in recent years, Canada—often perceived as the quieter neighbor of the U.S.—has rapidly climbed the list of top study destinations. Known for its breathtaking landscapes, multicultural cities, and world-class education system, Canada offers more than just cold winters and warm maple syrup. It offers a future.

Choosing to study in Canada is not just a strategic academic decision but also a lifestyle and career move that opens doors globally. With over 320,000 international students from India alone, Canada has created an educational ecosystem that thrives on inclusivity, research, and innovation.

Let’s explore why Canada is becoming a first-choice destination for Indian students and how you can join the ranks.

Why Canada Is More Than a Popular Choice

Canada’s appeal lies in its perfect balance of quality education, immigration-friendly policies, and affordability. Canadian degrees are globally recognized and rooted in real-world learning, which makes graduates ready to contribute anywhere in the world.

Key reasons Indian students love Canada:

Globally ranked universities and colleges

Post-study work permits and immigration pathways

Affordable compared to the U.S. and UK

Safe, multicultural, and welcoming environment

High employment rates for international graduates

Top Universities in Canada for Indian Students

Canada is home to a wide variety of institutions—from research-intensive universities to career-focused colleges. Most universities offer a broad spectrum of programs in engineering, business, science, arts, healthcare, and emerging technologies.

Here are the top universities in Canada for Indian students:

University of Toronto – A global leader in research, known for engineering, medicine, and business.

University of British Columbia (UBC) – Offers strong programs in forestry, computer science, and sustainability.

McGill University – Located in Montreal, it’s known for medicine, law, and humanities.

University of Alberta – Excellent for energy studies, engineering, and health sciences.

University of Waterloo – Canada’s tech hub, popular for computer science and co-op education.

McMaster University – A powerhouse for health sciences and medical research.

Western University – Business, law, and economics thrive here.

Queen’s University – Strong in commerce, engineering, and liberal arts.

Simon Fraser University – Known for interactive arts, communication, and computing.

York University – Offers strong interdisciplinary programs and an affordable option for international students.

In addition to these, many Indian students also explore high-quality community colleges such as Centennial College, Seneca College, and George Brown College for diploma and applied degrees.

In-Demand Programs Among Indian Students

Canada’s dynamic economy and forward-thinking universities mean that Indian students can find programs tailored to the job market. Popular areas of study include:

Computer Science & IT

Business & Finance (including MBA)

Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Software)

Health & Life Sciences

Environmental Studies

Artificial Intelligence & Data Science

Media, Communication & Journalism

Hospitality & Culinary Arts

These programs often include co-op or internship options, allowing students to gain valuable Canadian work experience even before graduation.

Cost of Studying and Living in Canada

Compared to the U.S. or UK, Canada is considered more affordable, especially when factoring in tuition and living costs.

Tuition Fees: Ranges from CAD 15,000 to CAD 35,000/year, depending on the course and institution.

Living Expenses: Average CAD 10,000–15,000/year.

Health Insurance: Varies by province; most universities include it in the fees.

To ease financial strain, many Canadian universities and provincial governments offer scholarships specifically for Indian and other international students.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Here are a few popular scholarships available:

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (University of Toronto)

York University International Student Scholarship

UBC International Leader of Tomorrow Award

Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute Grants

University-specific entrance scholarships and need-based aid

Additionally, Indian students can work part-time (20 hours/week during semesters) and full-time during breaks, helping offset costs while gaining work experience.

A Clear Path to Permanent Residency

One of Canada’s strongest pulls is its immigration-friendly policies. After completing your studies, you can apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), which allows you to work in Canada for up to 3 years. This work experience is often the bridge to Permanent Residency (PR) through programs like Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

Many Indian graduates go on to build long-term careers and families in Canada, making the country not just a place to study but a place to belong.

Application Process: Step-by-Step

Research and shortlist programs: Choose your course and university based on your interests, career goals, and budget.

Check eligibility: Most programs require academic transcripts, English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL), SOP, and letters of recommendation.

Apply directly: Use the university’s application portal or platforms like OUAC (Ontario Universities' Application Centre).

Receive Letter of Acceptance: This is crucial for visa applications.

Apply for Study Permit: Requires a Statement of Purpose, proof of funds, biometrics, and GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) if applying under SDS (Student Direct Stream).

Travel and settle in Canada: Once approved, you can enter Canada and participate in orientation programs.

Life Beyond the Lecture Hall

Canada offers a high quality of life to its students. Whether you’re hiking in British Columbia, experiencing the French charm of Montreal, or enjoying the festivals of Toronto, life in Canada is anything but dull.

Cultural Adaptation: With large Indian communities across cities, cultural events, Indian food, and festivals like Diwali and Holi are celebrated with enthusiasm.

Safety and Inclusion: Canada is known for its low crime rates and open-minded society, making it an ideal environment for international students.

Job Market: Graduates find work in global firms like Deloitte, Google, Shopify, RBC, and Bombardier, or even join startups and social enterprises.

Conclusion: Canada—A Country That Educates and Elevates

To study in Canada is to choose opportunity. With a balanced focus on education, personal development, and career readiness, Canada enables students to excel both during and after their studies.

With world-ranked universities in Canada for Indian students, generous scholarships, and a path to permanent residency, Canada isn’t just a study destination—it’s a launchpad to a better life. For Indian students ready to take the leap, Canada offers everything you need to succeed, settle, and soar.

[msmunifyin]

Why Study in Germany: A Global Hub for Academic Excellence

Germany has rapidly gained popularity as a top study destination for international students. With its affordable education system, world-renowned universities, and emphasis on innovation, Germany presents a unique blend of tradition and modernity in higher education.

Whether you're planning to pursue engineering, business, or health sciences, Germany offers a strong academic foundation along with global career prospects.

Affordable and High-Quality Education

One of the main reasons why study in Germany is the affordability of higher education. Most public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees, even for international students. This allows students to access world-class education without taking on huge financial burdens.

Despite the low cost, the quality of education is exceptional. German universities are recognized worldwide for their research-driven curriculum, industry collaborations, and focus on practical learning.

Best Courses to Study in Germany

Germany offers a wide range of academic programs, but certain fields stand out due to their global relevance and quality of teaching.

Engineering and Technology

Germany is known for its strength in engineering. Courses in mechanical, automotive, electrical, and civil engineering attract students from all over the world. The country's strong industrial sector offers plenty of internship and job opportunities post-graduation.

Computer Science and IT

With the rapid growth of the digital sector, Germany has become a hotspot for courses in data science, artificial intelligence, software development, and cybersecurity. Universities integrate hands-on learning with academic theory to prepare students for real-world challenges.

Business and Management

Germany’s global economic influence makes it a popular choice for business studies. Programs in finance, international management, and marketing are widely available in English and include opportunities for networking and internships.

Medicine and Life Sciences

Although many medical programs are in German, there are increasing options in English for areas like public health, biomedicine, and pharmaceutical sciences. Germany’s focus on healthcare innovation makes it a great choice for aspiring professionals in these fields.

Environmental Studies

Germany is a leader in sustainability and renewable energy. Programs related to climate change, environmental engineering, and green technologies are gaining attention among international students.

Top Universities in Germany

Germany is home to several top-tier universities known for academic excellence and research. These institutions are regularly ranked among the best in the world.

Some of the most reputed universities in Germany include:

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

RWTH Aachen University

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Heidelberg University

Humboldt University of Berlin

These universities offer diverse programs, modern facilities, and a strong international student community. Many of them also offer English-taught courses, especially at the postgraduate level.

Intakes in Germany

There are two major intakes in Germany for international students, giving flexibility when planning your academic journey.

Winter Intake (September/October)

This is the primary intake and offers the widest range of programs. Most students apply for this session as it provides the best options for course selection and accommodation.

Summer Intake (March/April)

Although fewer programs are available, the summer intake is ideal for students who missed the winter deadlines or prefer a smaller batch size for better student-teacher interaction.

Application deadlines vary by university and course, so it's essential to check each institution's official website well in advance.

Life as an International Student in Germany

Germany offers more than just academics. Students enjoy a safe environment, rich cultural experiences, and affordable living options. International students can work part-time during their studies and are eligible to stay for up to 18 months after graduation to search for employment.

Germany’s central location in Europe also makes it convenient for students to travel and explore neighboring countries during breaks.

Conclusion

If you're considering studying abroad, Germany offers the ideal combination of quality education, affordability, and career prospects. With highly regarded universities in Germany, flexible intakes, and some of the best courses to study in Germany, it's easy to understand why study in Germany has become such a popular choice for students worldwide.

Also Read

Understanding Intakes in the USA for International Students

[vaibhav01vm]

Job Opportunities in Canada After Graduation: A Complete Guide

Canada has earned a reputation as one of the most welcoming countries for international students, not just because of its top-tier education system, but also for the strong job opportunities in Canada that follow graduation. For Indian and other international students, this presents a unique chance to build a long-term professional future in a safe, stable, and multicultural environment.

With a student-friendly immigration system and employer demand for skilled graduates, Canada offers an ideal setting to transition from academics to employment. Whether you’re studying technology, healthcare, business, or engineering, the chances of securing a job post-graduation are incredibly promising—especially if you’ve strategically chosen where and what to study in Canada.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

One of the biggest perks of studying in Canada is the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), which allows graduates to work in Canada for up to three years after completing their studies. The duration depends on the length of your academic program. This period is critical for gaining Canadian work experience and can even lead to permanent residency.

Students can use this time to explore study abroad job markets, establish industry connections, and gain hands-on skills that give them a competitive edge.

Top Fields Hiring International Graduates

Several sectors in Canada are known for hiring international students after graduation. These include:

Information Technology: Software development, data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI continue to be highly sought-after fields.

Engineering: Civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers are in demand, especially in urban infrastructure projects.

Healthcare: Graduates in nursing, pharmacy, or health administration often find jobs quickly due to national shortages.

Finance and Business: Roles in banking, accounting, and corporate management are abundant in cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

Hospitality and Tourism: With its growing tourism industry, Canada offers solid job opportunities in hotel management, culinary arts, and event planning.

These job prospects are often influenced by the university or college you attend. Top universities in Canada such as the University of Toronto, UBC, McGill, and others have career development centers and co-op programs to help students find employment immediately after graduation.

How to Boost Your Employability

To maximize your chances of employment in Canada after graduating, here are a few tips:

Engage in internships or co-op programs during your study period.

Network through job fairs, alumni events, and LinkedIn.

Build a strong resume and cover letter aligned with Canadian standards.

Enhance soft skills, such as communication and teamwork, which Canadian employers highly value.

Improve English or French proficiency, depending on the region you’re targeting.

Before diving into a job search, make sure you understand the cost of study in Canada so you can plan your financials accordingly during and after your education.

Plan According to Intakes and Immigration Pathways

It’s important to plan your academic journey around the intakes in Canada—primarily in Fall, Winter, and Summer. Most job fairs, internships, and co-op placements align with the Fall intake, making it the most strategic option for maximizing career exposure.

Also, remember that your Canada student visa can directly impact your ability to work during and after your studies. Ensure your visa covers your entire program and gives you enough time post-study to secure a PGWP.

Navigating this process can be overwhelming, especially when balancing academics and career planning. That’s where professional overseas education consultants come in—they can guide you on everything from course selection and visa assistance to job pathways and residency options.

[saumya-unify]

Job Opportunities in Canada

Canada is one of the best countries for international students to pursue higher education, and it also offers abundant job opportunities for students during and after their studies. Whether you're looking for part-time work to support your studies or seeking full-time employment after graduation, Canada provides an array of options in various sectors. Here’s an overview of job opportunities in Canada for international students, especially Indian students.

1. Part-Time Jobs for Students

While studying in Canada, international students can work up to 20 hours per week during the academic year and full-time during breaks (winter and summer). This allows students to earn extra income to cover living expenses. Common part-time jobs include roles in hospitality, retail, food service, and customer service. Positions like waitstaff, baristas, tutors, or research assistants are popular choices among international students.

2. On-Campus Employment

Canadian universities and colleges offer a variety of on-campus job opportunities. These jobs are convenient for students because they allow them to work without leaving the campus. On-campus jobs may include working at the library, student center, cafeteria, or assisting professors with research. Many universities also have student employment offices that list job openings specifically for students.

3. Co-op Programs and Internships

Co-op programs and internships are a great way for students to gain hands-on experience in their field of study. Many Canadian universities offer co-op programs as part of their academic curriculum, where students alternate between studying and working in relevant industries. This allows students to earn money, gain experience, and build professional networks that will help them after graduation. Popular sectors for co-op opportunities include engineering, business, healthcare, and information technology.

4. Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

After completing their studies in Canada, international students are eligible to apply for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). This program allows students to work full-time in Canada for up to three years, depending on the length of their study program. The PGWP is an excellent opportunity for graduates to gain work experience and build their careers in Canada. The work experience gained can also help students qualify for permanent residency under the Canadian Express Entry system.

5. Opportunities in Various Sectors

Canada’s job market is diverse, with numerous sectors offering employment opportunities for international graduates. Popular sectors for job opportunities include:

Technology: With Canada's booming tech industry, cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are home to many tech startups and established companies like Shopify and Google.

Healthcare: Canada’s healthcare industry is always in need of qualified professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians.

Finance and Business: Major financial hubs like Toronto and Vancouver offer career opportunities for students with degrees in finance, accounting, and business management.

Engineering: Canada has a growing demand for skilled engineers, especially in fields like civil, mechanical, electrical, and software engineering.

How to Find Job Opportunities

To find job opportunities in Canada, students can explore job boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor. Universities also offer career services and job fairs that connect students with potential employers. Networking is also an essential part of finding job opportunities in Canada, and international students can take advantage of alumni networks and career events to build connections.

[ezenithe-blog]

[babyjamiebarnes]

Build-A-Bear

Part One

Featuring: Bucky x Stark!reader, dad!Tony, Peter Parker (platonic), background MCU characters

Warnings: [chapter] language; [series] language, smut, violence

Summary: The only people who knew she was actually a Stark were her dad, her step-mom Pepper, and her “uncles” Happy and Rhodey. A promotion within Stark Industries takes her from an already-sought after position in the Weapons Anaylsis Unit straight to the Avengers as a Weapons Enhancement Specialist... which means her dad is her new boss. There’s only one rule at work: no fraternizing with coworkers. There’s one more rule at home: no dating any Avengers. So what is she supposed to do when a grumpy super soldier becomes not-so-grumpy around her? At 25, do her dad’s rules still apply? Or is her entire livelihood at risk?

Author’s Note: I’ve written a decent portion of this but know I won’t keep writing it or post it unless I hold myself accountable and get it out there in the first place 🙈 I haven’t written much for Marvel yet but I’ve read plenty and have written for other fandoms in the past (not to mention the writing degree on my wall lol). I’ll try to post every 2-3 days to keep this moving! And if you like it and want to, buy me a coffee!

No one knew Tony Stark had a daughter. No one but Tony Stark and his daughter. Well, and her step-mom Pepper. And her godfather Rhodey. And her uncle-not-uncle Happy. But no one in their everyday lives knew. She was given her mother’s maiden name and kept a secret, even when she turned 17 and moved to a small apartment near NYU’s campus (with Happy stationed right next door, of course) to start life as a truly normal adult, or as close to normal as an undercover Stark could be. When she graduated with her PhDs in robotics and electrical engineering at 25 — proving brains really do run in the family — she moved into her own apartment in Manhattan, funded by her father under the pseudonym “Michael Myers.” Subtlety was never his strong suit.

Fortunately for you, growing up without the Stark name let you live a relatively normal life. It also allowed you to apply for a position within Stark Industries without being ushered past any red tape because of who your father is. Outside of the financial advantage you had, you worked for your spot in a STEM career. You suffered through every man in your field belittling your work despite knowing less than you. You dealt with the constant interruptions and “well, actually” because of your gender. You powered through late nights and early mornings when your mind was flowing too smoothly to quit.

The last thing you wanted to do was have all that work disregarded because you shared a name with genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. So you filled out the application, sent in your resume and cover letter, and attached three letters of recommendation from your professors. You went through hours of interviews, background checks (conveniently redacting your father’s name), and polygraph tests until that offer letter showed up in your email. You even had to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreements that would bar you from discussing *anything* work-related with anyone outside of your department.

You spent your first year in the weapons analysis department, evaluating alien weaponry and determining how it worked and how to disable it. You had your fair share of mishaps, of course. Holes blasted into walls, fried robot dummies, even burnt animal carcasses. By the end of your first year, your supervisor sent a commendation and proposal for you for an undisclosed promotion. After Pepper Potts “thoroughly examined your resume, cover letter, and accomplishments during your tenure with Stark Industries,” as the letter read, you were awarded a position working on the Avengers’ weapons as a Weapons Enhancement Specialist. You’d never see a fight in-person, but you were assigned to work on advancements and post-battle repairs for everyone, from the Winter Soldier’s arm to the Falcon’s wings to Vision’s... everything. The only heroes you wouldn’t work on were Iron Man and War Machine (those were your dad’s territory) and Spider-Man.

On your first day in your new position, the one and only Pepper Potts showed you to your new lab on the 47th floor. It took all your willpower to look your step-mother in the eye and say, “Wow, Miss Potts. This is amazing. It’s such an honor to meet you,” with a straight face to convince any passerby that you had no outside affiliation with her. Even if her eyes stayed steady on you, you could see her mentally rolling them.

Once you were alone behind the doors of the elevator, conversation changed course.

“You’re going to be sharing a lab with someone else,” Pepper said.

“Sweet. As long as they’re competent, that’s fine by me,” you shrugged. Part of earning your degrees was learning to share a workspace with others, even those who bumbled and fumbled with no idea what they were doing. You’d had more hair singed by nearby explosions than you’d like to admit.

“He’s still in college so he’s not here as often as the others. Most of his work will be on Spider-Man’s gadgets and suit, but you can use him for any help you need.”

Walking past the familiar faces of Dr. Banner and Dr. Cho in their respective labs, Pepper ushered you into your lab, where you were met by your father and put on the same excited facade you did with Pepper.

“Oh my god, you’re Tony Stark! This is incredible! It’s such an honor to meet you, sir!”

He shook his head at you and reluctantly accepted your outstretched hand. Oh, the jokes you’d be making at family dinners.

“Yeah, anyway, this is your new lab, Miss [Y/L/N]. Make yourself at home. This lab rat over here is mister Parker. If you have any questions, he can at least bullshit an answer for you.”

The young man on the other side of the lab perked up at the sound of his name. He tugged the goggles off his face and set down his soldering rod to rush over to you.

“Hi. Hi, I’m Peter,” he said, reaching his hand out to you.

“I’m [Y/N]. It’s nice to meet you, lab partner.”

He looked to be a bit younger than you and at least relatively smart, if the MIT sweatshirt peeking out from under his lab coat said anything. If your dad gave him an internship like this, you knew you shouldn’t question it. He had to be a genius.

The kid just smiled at you, continuing to shake your hand past what most would deem socially acceptable.

“Okay, enough of that,” Tony said, pushing on your joined hands to separate you two. “Mister Parker might be in and out of the lab from time to time. He joins the Avengers on the occasional recon mission for immediate repairs but since he’s on break from classes, you’ll see him more often than not. Play nice.”

When he noticed you surreptitiously looking Peter up and down, he added, “Remember, no fraternizing with coworkers.” He pointed a finger directly at you before he spun and pointed to your fellow lab mate, realizing he should warn Peter too to save face.

“All the blueprints you need for the Tin Man’s arm are in the system. We’ll have you start on that and see what you can do about minimizing the sound that thing makes. Any other questions, give Pep a call.”

“Thank you, mister Stark. I really do appreciate everything,” you said genuinely.

“Yeah, well… don’t let me down,” he replied, patting you on the shoulder on his way out. Pepper followed close behind, leaving you alone with Peter Parker.

“So Peter,” you started, sliding onto the lab chair next to where he remained standing, “tell me about yourself.”

“Uh… what do you want to know?” he asked as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

“How old are you?” you asked immediately.

“I’m 21.”

Only four years younger than you. So you’d probably get along just fine.

“I assume you’re at MIT?” He nodded. “What are you studying?”

“Biomolecular and mechanical engineering.” He said it so casually, you’d think he was talking about the last song he heard on the radio.

“Damn,” you responded, eyes wide. “I thought robotics and electrical engineering was wild but fuck, that sounds like hell.”

He laughed and nodded, letting a bit of the tension in his shoulders fall. “Yeah, it’s not easy. But it’s worth it.”

He shot you a small smile before gesturing back at his project. “I should probably get back to work and let you get started.”

For the rest of the day, you familiarized yourself with the Winter Soldier’s arm to figure out how to… turn the volume down? You assumed it was the gears inside causing the noise, but part of you wanted to outfit an audio jack and speaker just to fuck with your dad.

You and Peter worked in relative silence, aside from the playlist he had quietly playing through the lab sound system. When lunch rolled around, however, you finally spoke up.

“Hey Peter,” you called, his eyes flicking from the chemical beakers in front of him up to you. “First of all, what are you doing?”

“Um, it’s Spider-Man’s web fluid. Just trying to find more durable combinations.”

“Interesting.” As much as you wanted to touch the stringy substance, you knew better than to fiddle with someone else’s lab work. “Okay so second thing, in my last position, I’d just order food and have it brought to my floor but now that I’m on an exclusive floor, what do you do for lunch?”

“Oh, there are a couple security guys who have clearance to come into this floor. They just can’t get into any rooms so you’d have to meet them at the elevator. But I usually find something in the kitchen down the hall.”

“Oh, sweet. Thanks!” you said as you made your way out the door. Before you could fully exit, you turned back to see if Peter wanted you to grab anything. Once he promised he’d take his own break ‘once I get this one thing figured out,’ you continued to make your way to the kitchen.

As you drew closer to the doorway, you could hear three voices speaking over each other. They didn’t sound angry, but they were definitely arguing. You opened the door anyway and almost immediately froze in your tracks. The Falcon stood with one hand on his own head and one on the Winter Soldier’s head while Captain America rolled his eyes before those same eyes landed on you, along with the rest of the room.

“Perfect,” Sam started. “Hey new girl, between the three of us,” he said, pointing to himself, the Soldier, and the Captain, “who has the best hair?”

“First of all, my name is [Y/N]. Second,” you continued, making your way past them to the fridge you hoped your dad kept stocked with goodies, “that’s an unfair question.”

You grabbed a soda and popped it open before turning back to the three men. “Your hair suits each of you. Cap wouldn’t look good with Winter Soldier hair and Falcon wouldn’t look good with Cap’s hair.” You took a few steps closer, leaning against the island counter between you and eyeing each of them. Your eyes settled on the Winter Soldier, unashamedly flitting across his face and admiring the sharpness of his features. “You,” pointing at him, “could probably pull off either of their looks, though.”

Bucky smirked at you, but his rosy cheeks gave away a hint of embarrassment at your compliment. Steve and Sam, on the other hand, weren’t taking it quite as gracefully.

“What?!” Sam shouted. “Okay, now I know you’re lying. I could pull off Cap’s hair for sure.”

“You know, I think shaggy hair would really suit me,” Cap said, only half sarcastically.

You giggled to yourself as the three of them started talking over each other again, all dead set on their own hair being the best of them and positive they could pull off the others’ looks. While they bickered, you searched the pantry until you found a snack to at least get you through the remainder of the day.

“Alright boys, it’s been fun but I have work to do,” you said as you walked past them again. “Actually, wait. Bucky — can I call you Bucky?” He nodded even though you continued anyway. “If you could stop by lab six today, I’d love to check out your arm in person. The digital renderings aren’t quite the same.”

“Uh, okay. Sure. I’ll find you,” he said quietly.

“Sweet, thanks!” And with that, you skedaddled back to your lab.

[unmaskedagain]

Ladybug: A Young Avenger

Hey Everyone, I got prompt for a civil war ML crossover fic but I was really into Team Iron Man on Ao3 for longest of times and, after endgame, I kind of need some team fluff. So I tweaked the prompt. It’s still team Iron man; just… not the way you’d expect. (Also did anyone know else know that Penny’s last name was Rolling?)

It took Tony Stark all of five minutes to figure out Ladybug’s identity.

“Jarvis, buddy?” Tony called out.

“Yes, sir?”

“What’s up with teenagers and being bug-themed heroes wearing inappropriate costumes?”

           The A.I took a moment before answering, “…I, for one, blame Vine.”

           Tony sighed. First fifteen-year-old Peter Parker aka Spiderman. He took the kid on an as an intern the second he learned about Spiderman. Now fifteen-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng aka Ladybug.

           He groaned.

What could he do? He needed help.

           Captain America needed to be stopped. The Winter Solider needed to be taken down. Team Cap had gone too far.

           It was war.

           Getting Harley Keener, a mechanical mastermind to agree to be his intern was a bit like chewing nails but Tony always knew the kit would agree. Getting Peter Parker, a child genius with a bright future as a scientist, to agree to be his intern was a piece of cake. Honestly Tony could’ve asked for the kid’s soul in repayment and Peter would’ve asked if he wanted on a silver plate or if plastic was okay? Getting Riri Williams, an engineering prodigy to be his intern, was easy. Too easy; her mom practically threw her at him, all while making him swear into a recorder that he wouldn’t sue. No matter what. Introducing the kids to his labs made him feel like Willie Wonka hand-delivering the golden tickets.

           They were all future scientists and engineers like Tony. They grew up worshiping at the altar of Stark Industries like ever future MIT graduate did.

           Marinette Dupain-Cheng, on the other hand, was an entirely different beast who played an entirely different game. She was a fashion prodigy who had designed for stars like Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale. She had interned for Style Queen Audrey Bourgeois, had her clothes walk the runway during Paris fashion week, and had a summer job that somehow lasted over a year, working for Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-Chief for Runway Magazine when the scary woman took over Paris: Runaway. Said job ended when Miranda when back to New York. Marinette only prayed to the fashion gods. So when Tony Stark, god of the nerds, showed up at her door, she only blinked once.

           Said girl sat between her parents, with cool blue eyes glaring at him suspiciously. Luckily Tony was smart enough to bring Pepper with him.

           Pepper Potts smiled at the family in front of her; two bakers and the daughter, who made the most delicious macarons that she ever tasted. “So you see, after Tony came across Marinette’s wonderful re-design sketch of his suit on her website, he was very impressed with her talent.”

“But to take Marinette on as an intern?” Sabine asked. “Excuse me, but Marinette has always leaned towards the arts than science.”

           Tony gave the woman his best charming smile, “What is science if not another form of art. We both create, strive to better our talents, work to make names for ourselves; experiment and test out hypothesizes. Granted no one in my field ever created the disaster that was crocs.”

           Marinette narrowed her eyes, “Didn’t your father help on the Manhattan Project?”

           Silence.

           Pepper cleared on her throat. “Tom, Sabine, before anyone agrees to anything I’d like to go over safety procedures in place. Would you mind stepping outside with me, I could use a bit of fresh air.”

           Tony and Marinette just stared at each other as the three left the room. When the front door closed behind them, Marinette leaned forward, “What do you want?” Her patience had reached its end.

“Aren’t you being a little rude?” Tony smirked.

“Aren’t you a little old?” Marinette snapped back. “What do you want?”

“I want Ladybug’s help.”

           Marinette flinched back in shock. Her heart raced in her chest. “How do you know?”

“I’m Tony Stark,” He shrugged easily, picking up a mint chocolate Macron. “I know everything.”

           Marinette fought the fear racing through her, and steeled herself like Miranda and Audrey had taught her, “So Iron Man’s wanted Ladybug as an intern? So what does Iron Man get? What does Ladybug get? What does Tony get? And what does Marinette get?”

“You made clear distinctions,” Tony said approvingly, his business-side gearing up. “But I am Iron Man.” He said. “You come to New York for this spring break and for the summer. I get Ladybug’s help in handling a personal issue that has developed within the Avengers. Ladybug gets training from the Avengers. Marinette gets to add Stark Industries and a personal letter of recommendation from Tony Stark to her resume.”

“On the condition, that identities stay secret from the media,” Marinette crossed her arms. “I don’t suppose I can hide it from the rest Avengers for very long. And I get an additional letter of recommendation from Pepper Potts. Pepper takes my friend Chloe on as an intern; she’s the hero, Queen Bee. And only one who knows my identity, besides you. Also, I actually do get to help design your next suit. My expenses?”

           Tony smirk widened. The girl knew how to cover her bases. She even wanted to have an Ally with her should things take a turn. “All paid for by me. First-class all the way. You and Chloe will stay in the Stark Tower on the same floor as the other interns.”

“Other young superheroes, you mean?” Marinette guessed, causing Tony’s eyes to twinkle in joy. “Spiderman, Iron Heart, and WarIron. Based on their sizes, I had guessed they were young; teenagers probably. Why didn’t you ask Chat Noir too? Or why aren’t you? Because you’re not, you would’ve mentioned it by now?”

“You mean the Agreste kid?” Tony said, not noticing Marinette’s eyes widen in surprise. “He’s not serious enough for me. I play games but he goes too far. Surprised you haven’t dumped him yet. Get a better partner.”

           Marinette took a bit of a macron to get a moment to think. Adrien was Chat Noir. In retrospect, it made a lot of sense. Both were socially immature, and a bit naïve. Each had an idealistic view of things and didn’t let the real world break them of it. For example Adrien and his dealing with Lila’s lies. Chat Noir and Ladybug turning down his advances.

“Very well,” The bluenette finally agreed. “I agree to be your intern. Shall we discuss my salary now or later? Well, need to before I or my parents sign any contracts.”

           It was Tony’s turn to narrow his eyes. Not one; not a single one of his interns: Harley, Peter, or Riri ever asked about how much they’d get paid. They’d all assumed it was an unpaid internship and was surprised when their contracts included a salary. “You’re a shark.”

           Marinette hummed, “You should see me when there’s blood in the water.”

           That was something Tony was looking forward to seeing.

           The official paperwork was signed three days later; Marinette was officially a Stark intern. Due to go to Orientation for spring break in New York in a few weeks.

           Those weeks flew by. She let Fu know she’d have to go back and forth for a few weeks. She didn’t bother telling anyone else. Her friendships in the class had dwindled dramatically. While most weren’t her outright enemies, her classmates tended to avoid her. If they couldn’t do that, they were beyond cold to her. It was Lila’s doing. She got her hooks into the class, who all wanted to tie themselves to the golden goose, and when it was clear that Lila and Marinette didn’t like each other, they picked sides. They chose their meal ticket over their lifelong friend.

           Honestly, it made Marinette almost wish that Lila had lied about her instead; accused her of being a bully or something. Anything. Because at least then her ex-friends would have somewhat of a reason to be ex-friends. Even if it wasn’t a very good one. Instead, they were just bad friends all on their own.

           Still, Marinette didn’t mourn their loss as she sat in the back of the class with Chloe on a Sunny Tuesday morning, and they were living for New York that Friday. She had a steadily rising career in Fashion. She had worked under Miranda Priestly and Audrey. From them, she learned it was best to drop fair-weather friends and how to spot wannabes, fame-seekers, and gold-diggers from three miles away.

           She was happy with Chloe as her bestie. The girl had turned a new leaf and proven her loyalty to the point where Fu made her a permanent hero. And the Blond had been ecstatic when Pepper Potts had shown up at their door. She had hugged Marinette a full five minutes for getting her the internship. All while screaming with joy.

           Both girls were excited to go. Though Marinette did encounter one downside. The night before, Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling; or as Marinette deemed them #RollingStone, called her. Or rather Penny did the talking. Jagged was trying to wrestle his newest jacket away from Fang’s teeth. Penny offered Marinette a chance to spend her spring break traveling around on tour with Jagged, as his personal stylist. Marinette had no choice but to turn the job down. She loved her honorary Uncle Jagged but she already signed the contract.

           That morning Lila had spun another set of lies. The first was about helping Tony Stark fix his Iron man suit when she was traveling in America. The second was about the newest song Jagged Stone wrote about her. It was exhausting to listen to but the class hung on every word.

           Bustier had just finished her first lesson of the day when she invited Alya to stand up.

           The glasses-wearing girl grinned at the class, “So as everyone’s aware; there’s a class pool party is this Saturday; first day of spring break, baby!” The class cheered. “Everyone who’s invited should’ve gotten their invitation. Don’t want any drama,” She cast a cold look to the two girls at the back of the class. “Invite only. So no party crashers. Marinette, Chloe what are you doing this Saturday?” Alya smirked at her call out that the two girls weren’t invited; that they were the only ones who weren’t.

           As if on cue, the classroom’s door burst opened and in walked Tony Stark, followed by a very apologetic looking Pepper, “Marinette; it’s time to go! Grab Pepper’s minion and let’s go.”

           There were gasps from the class. Max sat up straight. Iron Man was in front of him, in his class, this was the best day of his life.

           Marinette just sighed, “Did you kick the door open, Tony?” Disapproval clear in her voice.

“…No?”

“I can’t go now!” Marinette explained. “I have class. We weren’t supposed to leave until Friday, remember.”

           Tony waved her off, “Details. Spring Break starts now. Queenie, Mari; chop-chop! New York is waiting!”

           Bustier decided to step in. She may not always be the best teacher but she refused to allow a strange man, even if that man was Tony Stark, to take away any of her students. “Mr. Stark, can I ask what you want Marinette and Chloe for?”

           Thankfully, it was Pepper that answered as she closed back the classroom door, “They have been employed as interns for Stark Industries. They’ll be attending orientation during their spring break at Stark Tower.”

Max actually fell out of his seat. Because this couldn’t be happening. Stark industries rarely ever took high schoolers’ as interns. Tony Stark only chose the best of the best. How could Marinette land the job?

“Marinette’s my intern,” Tony grinned. “Blondie’s Pepper’s. Who else is gonna teach her how to rule the world.”

           A slow smile spread across Chloe’s face, “With an iron fist.”

           Tony pointed at her, “You scare me. Pepper get your intern!”

           The other students were amazed. Marinette was Tony Stark’s intern. Chloe somehow got Pepper Pott's attention. What had they missed? Why didn’t Marinette tell them? How?

“That’s what we’ll be doing this Saturday, Alya,” Chloe drawled. “In New York, hanging with the Avengers.” Causing Alya to flush with anger. “We couldn’t come to your pool party even if we wanted to. Which we don’t.”

“He found my sketch of a potential Iron man suit design,” Marinette explained, continuing the story Tony had told her parents. “He loved it and offered me the job a few weeks ago.”

“Weeks?” Nino asked. “And you didn’t tell us? Dudette, not cool.”

           Alix nodded, her arms crossed, “Yeah I thought we were friends!”

           Marinette and Chloe just looked at them like they were stupid.

           Alya put her hands on her hips, “Mr. Stark, why didn’t you ask Lila Rossi to be your intern? She helped you with your suit before. She’d be much better than Marinette!”

           The girl in question face turned bright red, “This can’t be happening.” Lila muttered.

           Tony looked honestly confused, “Lila? Who’s Lila? No one ever helped me with my suit except the kids I already got as interns.” He looked at Pepper. “Do I know a Lila Rossi?”

           Pepper shook her head, and turned fierce eyes towards Lila, “Miss Rossi, please refrain from lying about Tony Stark and or Stark Industries. Or we will sue you on the grounds of defamation.”

           Lila squeaked. Sue? She couldn’t be sued. Her mother would kill her if she got a lawsuit from Tony Stark.

           It was the rest of the class’s turn to look confused.

           However, before anyone could ask any follow-up questions, the classroom door burst opened again. Jagged Stone strutted in, followed by a very apologetic look Penny and happy Fang with, what looked to be, the arm of a leather jacket.

“Marinette!” Jagged yelled. “What’s this about you not coming on tour? I need my favorite stylist, love.

Marinette just sighed, “Did you kick the door open, Jagged?” Disapproval clear in her voice.

“…No?”

           The bluenette just shook her head, “I have plans this Spring break. I’m sorry.”

“Plans?” Jagged whined. “What could be better spending your Spring Break with a Rock Star? You can even bring your Blonde. Penny could use an assistant!” He paused, finally noticing it wasn’t just kids. “The bloody hell is Tony Stark doing here?”

           The two famous men eyed each other. The women they came with just looked so done with the world.

           Tony crossed his arms, “I got custody of Marinette for Spring Break; you snooze, you lose.”

“What?!” Jagged hissed. “She’s my designer.”

“She’s my intern!”

           Jagged glared, “I knew her first. By rights, I get custody.”

“I have a contract that says otherwise!” Tony taunted the Rock Star. “Her future is Stark Industries.”

“Her future is Rock and Roll!” Jagged yelled back.

           Both men glared at each other.

“Pepper!”

“Penny!”

           Both women groaned. How was this their lives? Why what was this their lives? What bus full of nuns and orphans did they rob in a past life?

           Penny smiled, “Marinette means the world to us. I’m her honorary Aunt Penny,” She held out her hand for Pepper. “Jagged’s her honorary Uncle. We’ve known her for years. Contracts were already signed?”

           Pepper nodded, “Tony doesn’t play when it comes to his interns. He won’t budge. Trust me; we’ve done this three other times. Marinette’s his kid now, all but legally.” For now, Pepper didn’t bother to add. Every now and then she found discovered a new set of adoption papers with one of the interns’ names on it; one time she found three sets for all three. Plus if Tony kept hinting any harder, May was going to gut him.  “She’ll be in New York for Spring break and all of the summer.”

“Summer!” Jagged whined. “He gets custody for summer too! No!” he shook his head. “Not happening. Call our lawyers, Penny. We’re going to family court!”

           Tony blew him a raspberry. Tony Stark blew Jagged Stone a raspberry. The class could only blink, trying to process what was happening.

           Marinette just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her.

“Marinette already designed your clothes for the tour,” Penny tried to placate. “They’re amazing. We can call and skype if we need any additional tips. We have a concert in New York over spring break so we can go and see.” They didn’t. But Penny would be damned if she could have one booked within the hour. Anything to stop jagged from mention family court again. “Most of our summer is free too, we can visit Marinette whenever we want.”

           Jagged huffed but didn’t say anything.

“Well not whenever you want,” Tony teased.

“Family court!” Jagged hissed.

“Tony!” Pepper said warningly. She was not going to let this going to court. No matter how lovely Marinette was. “Be nice.”

           Tony pouted.

           Marinette raised her hand, “You guys know that legally my parents still have custody of me, right?” There was no answer. “Right?!” Nothing.

           The bluenette just sighed.

           Alya took that moment to break in, “Jagged, don’t you want to say hi to Lila? She’s right here,” Alya pointed to her bestie. “Oh, can we listen to the songs you wrote for her? Can you tell us how she saved your cat from getting hit by a plane?”

           The look Lila gave Alya could’ve killed a thousand men.

           Jagged looked affronted, “Lila? Who’s Lila?” He looked at his fiancé. “Penny, do I know a Lila?”

“No!” Penny glared fiercely at Lila. “Jagged Stone has never written a song about an underage girl before. He has never owned a cat. What parents and airline would careless enough to allow a child to rush onto a runway for a pet? Refrain from spreading any further slander. Or we’ll hit you with a lawsuit so fast you’ll get whiplash.”

“I’m allergic to cats by the way,” Jagged told the class. “All fur actually. That’s why I got Fang here.” He pointed the crocodile who had made its way to Marinette for cuddles. “I’ve had him for twenty years. He’s the only pet I’ve had all that time.”

           Marinette rolled her eyes and took the crocodile in her lap.

“Twenty years?” Kim’s eyebrows furrowed. “Whoa, that’s long that we’ve been alive.”

           Nino glared at Lila, “Yeah it is.” He finally realized the girl was lying. Most of the class had in fact.

“Enough of this,” Tony waved. “Marinette, Chloe, time to go. Leave the dinosaur.”

           Bustier took a deep breath, “No one is taking Marinette or Chloe anywhere. Until I get a note from their parents verifying that is. I’m going to have to ask you all to leave.”

           Penny and Pepper nodded understandingly. Jagged and Tony just looked shocked.

“But I’m Tony Stark!”

“I’m Jagged Stone, love!”

           Bustier just rolled her eyes and shooed them out of her class. It took some handling, and eventually, the women had to drag the guys out. The teacher shut the door with a sigh of relief. She brushed off the imaginary dirt on her clothes. “Marinette,” She called. “If you could tell any future visitors to wait until after school to pick you up, with a note from your parents that would be most helpful.”

“Sorry,” Marinette blushed, a deep dark red.

           Bustier walked back to her desk before pausing. “Is that Crocodile still in my class, Marinette?”

“…Yes.”

“I think he’s here for the rest of the day,” Chloe shrugged. “Unless you want to invite Jagged back?”

           Bustier paused. No. Never again. “No. No. Fang can stay for the day.”

           When the lunch bell rang, Marinette found that it was easier to avoid her classmates' questions, as they were too busy yelling at Lila. It wasn’t long after that Ladybug had to take down Lila’s seventh akuma form.

           Marinette and Chloe left that night to New York. Somehow he managed to convince their parents that missing three days of school to study in the most advanced building in the world was a good thing.

           When they got to Stark Tower, they were given a quick tour. Then Pepper took Chloe to show her where she would be working. And Tony took Marinette the workshop where three other kids were already working.

           The oldest one glanced at her and snorted, “God he kidnapped another one.” He was the tallest in the room with dark brown hair and a smirk on his face.

           The other two snickered.

           Tony looked affronted, “Oh please; your parental units practically threw you at me.

The younger looking boy smirked, “Aunt May threatened to shank you next time you took me out of school early.” He had light brown hair and big brown eyes

           The genius pointed, “You tell Aunt Hottie to leave me alone.”

“HI, I’m Marinette!” She waved happily. “He keeps mentioning he has custody. And I’ve become moderately concerned.”

“And you should be,” The other girl in the room laughed. She was a pretty brown-skinned girl with black wild curls. “Name’s Riri.”

“Harley,” Said the first boy who spoke.

“Peter,” The other boy introduced.

           Marinette nodded and eyes them, “WarIron,” The pointed at Harley. “Iron Heart,” Then at Riri. “Spiderman, right?” She pointed at Peter.

           The three looked at Tony with questions in their eyes. Tony raised in hands in surrender, “Hey, I told her nothing.”

           Harley eyed the new girl, “You’re from Paris, right?” She nodded. “Ladybug, I’m guessing.”  Marinette blushed. “Welcome to the Young Avengers, I guess. Why’d he bring you in?”

           Marinette shrugged, “He said to there was a personal problem happening with the Avengers. He wanted my help.”

           The teen froze. Peter just shook his head, “You didn’t, Tony!”

Tony looked sheepish.

“What?” Marinette asked.

           Riri rolled her eyes, “That personal problem? It’s called ManHunt.”

“I’m sorry?” Marinette asked. She was going to have to hunt a man?

“It’s a game,” Harley explained. “Team Iron Man versus team Cap. One team hunts the other in a sort of hide and seek type of thing and tries to capture as many members as they can. Last time we played it, Team Cap crushed Team Iron man. It’s why Tony brought us all in. Revenge.”

           Said Man didn’t look one bit ashamed, “Rules were since Thor and the Big guy are gone I can bring in whoever I want to replace them.”

           Marinette tossed up her hands, “You brought me here to play a game?” Unbelievable.

“No,” Tony said. “I brought you here to take out the Winter Soldier.”

“Say what now?”

“Welcome to orientation,” Was All Tony said to her question.

           The kids trained together for a week; Chloe, a girl named MJ who was Pepper’s other interns, and a boy named Ned who was a tech intern, were brought in as well. When it turned out that Kagami was in New York City for a fencing tournament. Tony was happy to bring in the scary girl as well. (And somehow get her mother to agree to let her stay for Spring Break) He made practice stealth and learn hand signals. Tony drilled them on the Team Cap’s strengths and weaknesses. They reviewed videos of previous missions until they had everyone’s fighting style memorized. Tony went over body anatomy aka where the best place to hit them was. They memorized plans and scenarios to take out each specific member of Team Cap.

           The teens spent a lot of time in the lab creating gadgets to use against the Avengers. Each one straight out of a spy movie.

           As far as Tony was concerned this was War. And there would be no prisoners.

Team Cap consisted of Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, The Falcon, Antman, along with several Shield employees which included Fury, Melinda May, and Coulson.

           Team Iron man consisted of Ironman, War Machine, Vision, Maria Hill, The Wasp, Quicksilver, Daisy Johnson, and a bunch of names Stark employees: I.E the interns. (Black Panther refused to participate. Though he and sister would watch from Wakanda.)

           Each team had a total of thirty players; no more, no less.

           The game would take place at the compound. Anything area within the compound legal territory was free to use. The living room would be home base and were all ‘out’ people had to stay. Until they were freed. Or until every member of the hiding team was captured and then it was Game Over. Everyone could communicate with their own team using special mics; normally only taken out for missions. However, those imprisoned in the home base couldn’t communicate with their team.

           On Saturday, just before sunset; the main superheroes of the avengers met up. Tony facing Steve. Rhodey glaring at Bucky. Vision versus Wanda. Hawkeye to QuickSilver. The wasp against Ant-Man and the Falcon.

           Steve smiled, “Tony.”

“You ready for war, Cap?” Tony asked.

“Training exercise,” Steve corrected his husband. “I trust your team is ready.”

           Tony smirked, “Oh you have no idea. Your little spies are already hiding in the shadows.”

“Like your team isn’t?”

           The alarm went off.

           Tony suited up, “You have 1000 seconds, Steve.” His helmet shut. “I’d get running.”

           Steve rolled his eyes. His team split up, running into the growing shadows.

           The game had started.

           Marinette waited, hiding in the shadows on the roof. Her ladybug costume was all back with little red polka dots; mostly easy to move around body armor. This wasn’t her actually Ladybug suit; Tikki, while willing to create a new suit design, decided it wasn’t a good idea to involve magic. So Marinette designed herself a new suit, and Tony help her trick it out.

Tony had pointed out the all-good hiding spots located in the Compound. She was the overly large landing pad. She forced herself to stay completely still. Even when she saw the Falcon take flight with WarIron right on his tail.

           The smallest of moments caught on the corner of her eye, the glint of metal. An arrow, she realized. She smiled. Hawkeye.

           She watched the man take stock of the room, looking in every possible place a person could hide. Unfortunately for him, Marinette had a bit of luck on her side.

“All clear on the roof, Cap,” Clint said into his mic. “I’ll keep a lookout from up here.” There was silence as he listened to Cap’s orders. “Okay. Will do. Stay invisible, got it. Over and out.”

           The second the conversation had ended, Marinette through a smoke bomb at his feet. Before Clint could even finish saying, “What the he-” Marinette was on the attack. Using the smoke to her advantage, she swung her yo-yo at Hawkeye’s feet. The String wrapped around his legs, tripping him. Five seconds later, Hawkeye was hogtied on the ground.

Marinette touched her mic, “Tweety Bird down. Bringing him to home base now!”

“Copy that, Ladybug,” Tony said. “Be careful.”

           Clint looked up at his assailant; expecting to see Tony or the Wasp, any avenger. Instead what he saw, was a teen girl with a scary blue-eyed glare on his face, “Who are you?”

           Marinette leaned down, “Your reckoning.” She hissed.

“What the fuck!” He said as he was thrown over the girl’s shoulder and carried to home base.

           When Marinette got to home base, she saw Harley putting a rather put out Falcon on the ground, Spiderman with five webbed up shield agents, Chloe had brought in two, Kagami and Riri brought in six. MJ and Ned both brought in one random shield agent. Marinette tossed Hawkeye on the couch.

           It had been twenty minutes, Clint knew by the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes since sunset and the game had started. And they had already lost just over half their team to a bunch of teenagers.

Clint couldn’t help but wonder what the hell had Tony unleashed on them.

“Foghorn Leghorn secure,” Harley said into his mic. “Tweety in his cage. The shadows are all accounted for.”

“I’m Tweety,” Clint told Sam.

           Sam paused. “…Am I Foghorn Leghorn?”

“Wasp and Vision on their way with The Blue Fairy,” Tony’s voice rang their ears. “They’ll play guard dog. QuickSilver is down; Miss Tuffit got him. Seven minions gone; Captain Hook and his jolly crew got them. Over and out.”

“Queen Bee, MJ, guard the Home base until they get here,” Harley ordered. “Guy in the chair, Mj, back on monitor duty. Fulfill mission Top hat ASAP.” They nodded and left the room.

           Top hat was important. The two were trying to hack into Team Cap’s communications, once they did; it was game over.

“The rest of you complete the assignment,” He told them.

           Then all split up again. Vision and Wasp arrived with Scarlet witch just as they were leaving. All three avengers gave the kids confused looks as they left.

           It would take Marinette another hour before she came across another member of Team Cap. And she didn’t so much as come across, as she did respond to Peter’s cry for help.

“Captain Sparkles!” Peter yelled in their earpiece. “Training yard. I’m trying to hold hi-No I won’t give you back your shield! Hurry! Over!”

“I’m around the corner,” Marinette hissed into the mic as she ran for the yard. When she arrived it was just in time to catch the shield that was flying at her face.

           She held the shield tightly in her hand, feeling like Wonder Woman, as she stared down Captain America.

           Steve looked at the young girl who had joined the fight, “My shield, miss?” He was aware that Spiderman had landed behind him.

           Marinette smiled sweet. Then she launched the shield at him with such brute force, he was lifted off his feet. “The Name’s Ladybug.”

Steve didn’t catch the shield in time and it bounced back to Spiderman.

           Captain America glared at the two teenagers.

           Then the fight was on.

    ��      Spiderman hits Steve with his shield, distracting him. The shield falling to the ground. Ladybug barges Captain America backwards. Steve shoulders her to the floor. Marinette lands on the ground; pain flaring across her shoulder. Spiderman punches Steve who just lifts him and slams him against the ground. Spiderman raises a fist but Steve twists it. A web shoots out of his hand, the sound of a small explosion fills the training yard.

           Marinette takes the distraction to trip Captain America and jump up. As Steve falls to the ground, Marinette uses the electro-shooters that Riri made and shocks the dear life out of him. It wasn’t enough to bring him down but then Peter added in his own shocking web-shooters.

           Yet Steve still looked ready for another round of their fight. Marinette quickly picked up the shield and slammed it across his head. Steve Rogers fell forward in a slump.

           Spiderman webbed up with quick-drying cement.

           Both teens breathed heavily; struggling to catch their breath, tense from the fight. Marinette could even find it in herself to unclench the shield.

“Captain Sparkles is down, over,” Marinette said into the Mic.

“We’re bringing him in, over,” Spiderman added.

           There was a moment of silence.

“…What the fuck?” They heard War Machine say.

           When Marinette walked in with the shield in one hand and helping Spiderman carry Cap with the other, the avengers present quietly lost their shit. Kagami nodded, where she stood over Fury who looked more pissed than ever before in his entire life. Chloe stood over Coulson, who just looked put out. MJ and Ned looked overly pleased. Their mission had been a success but it only lasted long enough to get Fury and Coulson. After that, Team Cap was smart enough to ditch the communications, figuring something was up.

“Who’s left?” Spiderman asked in the Mic. “Over.”

“Stoneheart,” Kagami answered bitterly, referring to Melinda May, into the Mic so the team could hear them. “She took out Daisy and got away. Hill is after her now.”

“Jon Snow and Miss Tuffit,” Chloe said referring to the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. “Iron Man and WarIron are after Small fry. War Machine has eyes on Miss Tuffet.”

“I’m closing in on Miss Tuffit, over.” War Machine said.

           Marinette looked at her team, pressing on her mic, “Guy in Chair, Mj, I want you on Stoneheart’s tail. Spiderman go be back up for the War Machine. Iron Heart, meet me on the Location 12. Over.”

“What are you going to do, over?” Harley asked.

           Marinette clenched the shield in her hands, “I’m going to go tell Jon Snow that Winter Is Over. Queen and Dragon with me. Over.”

           The battle with the Winter Soldier was epic. The showdown happened in the gym. It turned out they weren’t hunting for the Winter Soldier, the Winter soldier was hunting for them. The second they walked into the gym, the doors closed behind them.

           Bucky jumped down from the rafters. He stared at the girls. He had seen them fight. None of them fought with any ounce mercy but plenty of skill. But they were clearly just kids. Just Dames in over their heads. He’d go easy on them. “Shall we, Ladies?”

           Ladybug, Queen Bee, Iron Heart, and Dragon shared a look before giggling.

           The Winter Soldier only just barely stood a chance.

           The girls laid Bucky gently on the floor on home base. He grunted and glared at them.

           A few minutes later, Tony and Rhodey walked in with the Black Widow. The last of Team Cap.

           Tony smirked, “Game over.”

           Rhodey shook his head, “Record time; two hours and four-two minutes. Beats the last one by about seven hours and sixteen minutes.”

           Then they debriefed. Video of the fights and footage was seemed was shown so everyone could see where they could improve. The image of tiny Ladybug clocking Captain America in their head with his own shield was rewinded and watched seven times.

           Tony fell over laughing, “I’m putting on Youtube!”

“I will divorce you!” Steve snapped but couldn’t fight the smile on his face.

           Once The random agents of shield and Stark industries left, Steve glared at Tony. His team had gotten demolished. In record time. “You brought in outside heroes, that’s not fair.”

“No,” Tony laughed. “I brought employees of Stark Industries as agreed upon. Everyone meet WarIron,” Harley lowered his helmet. “Iron Heart,” Riri lowered his, “You know Spiderman already,” Peter took of his mask and waved. “MJ, and Ned” Both teens nodded. “Ladybug,” Marinette took off her mask. “Queen Bee,” Chloe glared as she removed hers. “Dragon!” Kagami took off her black mask. “The interns. Otherwise known as the Young Avengers.”

“Oh, fuck you too Stark,” Clint complained. “Did you see what they did to poor Bucky. He’s the deadliest assassin in history, and I felt they went a little rough.”

           Bucky nodded with a wince, “Can I have my arm back.”

           Steve looked at the bluenette still holding his shield, with a charming smile.

Kagami glared. She held the metal arm like trophy. “Spoils of War.”

           Marinette giggled.

           Being a intern was going to be fun.    

[raiisrad]

Current Newsies Headcannon

Background

-They grow up in West Virginia, v poor kids in a v poor town

-Davey and Race have been friends since first grade

-Race’s family is pretty shit, but local CPS has bigger things to worry about, so he basically lives with the Jacobs’

-Spot and Jack show up in high school - ended up at Medda’s at the same time

-The four quickly become inseparable

-Davey/Jack and Race/Spot start dating during sophomore year

-Race wants to be a dancer

-Davey wants to be a journalist

-Both want to get out and move to the city more than anything

-Broke AF so have to get scholarships

-They do - NYU here we come!

-Jack and Spot always pushed them to go, never asked to come with because they knew they couldn’t

-Summer before Davey and Race leave, Jack makes a throwaway comment about them not being gone that long considering thanksgiving and winter break

-Davey laughs because lol no money, MAYBE they’ll be home for winter break but definitely not thanksgiving

-Jack and Spot go real quiet - dual breakups within the week

-Davey and Race leave for college.  Jack and Spot don’t say bye.  They don’t get to say goodbye to Ms. Medda either even though she’s basically their second mom because things are weird

 College Year 1

-We’re gonna ignore what’s going on with Jack/Spot for a bit (ie 4 years)

-Davey and Race are roommates

-Davey is a journalism/international relations double major with a minor in public policy analysis

-Race is Dance/Mechanical Engineering double major

-The first friends they make are Finch/Albert who are the couple that live across the hall

-Finch and Albert are drama majors minoring in dance

-They are from Mississippi

-Davey and Race do not make it home for Thanksgiving

-They do go home for winter break, but it’s awkward because they don’t really have anyone to see outside of the Jacobs’.  They do text Jack/Spot to see if they want to talk, but get ignored

-Once back in NYC, they promptly swear that they are not going home for summer so they’re going to have to find jobs in the city/somewhere to live (also Race has to stay for the dance program anyway)

-They are also going to ignore the fact that it still kind of feels like they’re both missing a limb

-Davey meets Katherine during one of his classes during spring semester and they become friends. She helps him find a PAID!! Internship for the summer.

-Race gets a job as the friendly neighborhood barista around his summer intensive schedule

-They four of them (Davey/Race/Finch/Albert) end up sharing an incredibly sketchy 2 bedroom apartment over the summer but they manage to both pay rent and not starve so they call it a success

[sunshinepeter]

college au where both peter and harley go to mit, peter studying chemical engineering and harley mechanical engineering

there’s a big feud between the two majors, like entire classes battling it out on the grounds of mit, in snarky under-breath comments (“oh did your wittle beaker expwode today?” “says the man covered in grease. ever heard of a shower?”)

peter and harley are at the head of it; peters claim to fame is the stark internship and personally working on spider-man gadgets and suits (“where has spider-man been? he hasn’t been spotted in new york in months, only occasionally on missions with the avengers” “oh he’s... uh.... focusing on his mental health right now...”)

harleys claim to fame is as the only mechanic within twenty miles of their town, despite only being a teenager (“i fixed a 72 chevrolet when i was only 14. it’s still running good today.”)

they butt heads so. much. they glare at each other across dining halls, stare each other down in the campus starbucks. it’s ridiculous. everyone, no matter the “side” they are on, find the two utterly annoying.

“parker and keener stared at each other for, like, twenty minutes during breakfast today. literally, peter didn’t eat a bite of food he just...stared across the dining hall.” “figures. i wish they would just get to it already and figure their shit out.” “get to what?” “either a fist fight or a good fuck, whichever comes first i guess.”

it was the latter. (stormy day in the shared engineering lab, a stolen bottle of wine from the teachers lounge (“of course you’re a goddamn ta, parker, you’re such a fucking brown nose.” “do you want to drink with me or not keener?” “whatever.”) and three hours later they lay cuddling in harleys crappy dorm bed.

tony debates whether or not to cut off his ears over winter break (“ok i get it he’s a god walking on earth, now can you at least tell me his name so i can find everything about him online and decide if he’s good enough for you?” “absolutely not!”)

during their last week of finals, they go back and forth dragging the other to a bed for well needed sleep, before finally celebrating with a picnic in the quad after peters last final. peter asks if he would have time that summer to fly up to new york and visit him, and when harley confesses that he is actually pretty poor, peter says to not worry about it, they can cover it.

when peter tells tony “his name is harley keener, hes from tennessee and has a very cute accent and i want him to come up to visit me he could see the lab and meet some of the mechanics here because he has no future in rose hill that’s for sure, please tony please?” tony just smirks and nods, not able to form actual words without fear of laughing in peters face.

harley flies alone in a private jet from rose hill to tennessee, and when he steps off the plane (on the landing pad of stark tower) tony greets him with a hug and a “nice to see you again, mechanic.” and peter just stands there gobsmacked, not even able to shake his shock to hug his own boyfriend.

(harley and tony get a roasting that night, peter screaming at them (drunk on decidedly more expensive wine) as to how the living fuck the information that tony and his own boyfriend are apparently connected passed him, how tony never bothered to mention peter wasn’t the first kid he pseudoadopted, and then a few more screams when harley then compares them to brothers.)

[mani022blogs]

Germany Calling: Unlocking Global Opportunities for Indian Postgraduates

In a rapidly evolving world, students from India are seeking education that is affordable, globally competitive, and rooted in innovation. For many, Germany emerges as the ideal destination—a country that blends academic precision, world-class research, and generous education funding. Whether you’re aiming for a career in management or advanced research in science and technology, MBA in Germany for Indian students and MS in Germany programs are increasingly popular.

But the journey doesn’t have to be expensive. With numerous scholarships for Indian students in Germany, even those from modest backgrounds can pursue high-quality education without being buried under debt. This guide walks you through why Germany is an academic magnet, what programs to consider, and how scholarships can help fund your dreams.

Why Germany Attracts Indian Students

Germany is more than just Europe's economic powerhouse—it’s also a beacon of innovation, research, and affordability for international students.

1. No or Low Tuition Fees: Public universities in Germany charge little to no tuition fees, even for international students. This drastically reduces the overall cost of education compared to countries like the USA, UK, or Australia.

2. Global Recognition: A degree from a German university is globally respected. Institutions like TU Munich, RWTH Aachen, and the University of Heidelberg rank high internationally.

3. English-Taught Programs: Thousands of Master’s and MBA programs are taught in English, eliminating the need for German fluency (though learning it is still recommended for life outside campus).

4. Research-Driven Education: Germany’s emphasis on applied science and real-world learning is ideal for MS and MBA aspirants.

5. Work Opportunities: Indian students are allowed to work 120 full or 240 half days annually while studying, and the 18-month post-study work visa gives ample time to find a job.

MS in Germany: Engineered for Innovation

The MS in Germany programs focus on STEM, engineering, data science, and natural sciences. Germany is home to several top technical universities that maintain deep collaborations with industry leaders such as Siemens, Bosch, SAP, and BMW.

Top MS Specializations in Germany:

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Computer Science

Data Analytics

Robotics and AI

Renewable Energy

Environmental Engineering

Leading Universities:

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

RWTH Aachen University

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

University of Stuttgart

TU Berlin

Eligibility:

4-year Bachelor’s degree (some accept 3 years with conditions)

GRE may be required by some universities

IELTS/TOEFL for English-taught programs

German language is a plus for internships and local life

Application Deadlines: Typically in July for winter intake and January for summer intake

MBA in Germany for Indian Students: Strategic and Global

The MBA in Germany for Indian students offers rigorous business education with a European edge. Most programs are 12 to 18 months long, and many do not require a GMAT. Germany’s location in the heart of Europe also means exposure to a wide variety of business cultures.

Popular MBA Specializations:

International Business

Finance & Accounting

Supply Chain Management

Digital Marketing

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Top Business Schools in Germany:

Mannheim Business School

ESMT Berlin

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Typical Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree

Minimum 2-3 years of work experience

IELTS or TOEFL

GMAT (optional for some schools)

Cost Range: €15,000 – €45,000 Living Expenses: Approx. €850–€1,200/month

Scholarships for Indian Students in Germany

Germany offers a wide variety of scholarships to Indian students, making it highly affordable despite its reputation for academic excellence.

1. DAAD Scholarships

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the most well-known scholarship provider.

Covers full tuition, living expenses, and travel

Open to Master’s, MBA, and PhD students

Highly competitive and merit-based

2. Erasmus+

A European Union initiative

Offers full/partial scholarships for joint Master’s programs across European universities

Includes tuition fees and monthly stipend

3. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Scholarships

For students who show political/social engagement

Monthly stipend of €850 and academic mentorship

4. Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarships

Focuses on green and social justice values

For Master’s and PhD students with a strong academic and social profile

5. University-Specific Scholarships

Many German universities offer merit-based and need-based scholarships. Examples include:

TUM International Student Scholarship

RWTH Aachen’s Graduation Scholarship

HHL Leipzig’s MBA scholarships for women and entrepreneurs

Documents Usually Required:

Academic transcripts

Motivation letter/SOP

Resume/CV

Letters of recommendation

Language proficiency certificates

Proof of social involvement (for some foundations)

Application Tips for Indian Students

1. Plan Early: Start researching programs and scholarships at least 12 months in advance.

2. Use the DAAD Portal: This centralized portal helps search for English-taught programs and scholarship opportunities tailored for Indian students.

3. Prepare a Strong SOP: Your Statement of Purpose should reflect clarity, academic background, and career vision.

4. Take Language Prep Seriously: Even for English-taught courses, basic German (A1/A2 level) improves everyday life and part-time work opportunities.

5. Check APS Certificate Requirements: As of recent years, Indian students may need an APS certificate from the German Embassy before applying for a student visa.

Living in Germany: Practical Matters

Germany is well-known for its safe cities, excellent public transportation, and student-friendly lifestyle. Cities like Munich, Berlin, and Heidelberg are popular among students, though smaller cities like Aachen or Darmstadt offer great programs and lower living costs.

Public health insurance, student discounts, and subsidized meals at university canteens help keep expenses manageable.

Cultural Adaptation: While academic life is structured, social life may feel more reserved than in India. Engaging in student clubs, internships, and local community groups can help ease the transition.

Post-Graduation: What’s Next?

After completing your MS or MBA, you are eligible for an 18-month job-seeking visa. Germany's shortage of skilled professionals, especially in IT, engineering, and finance, makes it highly likely for Indian graduates to land relevant jobs.

Eventually, this experience can lead to a Blue Card (EU work permit) and even permanent residency if desired.

Conclusion: Germany—A Pathway to Affordable Global Success

Whether it’s the intellectual rigor of an MS in Germany, the strategic edge of an MBA, or the life-changing opportunities brought by scholarships for Indian students in Germany, the country is an academic and economic bridge between dreams and reality.

Affordable, respected, and full of opportunity—Germany offers Indian students not just education, but a complete transformation.

[unbelievableholland]

Love, Me: Part 3

(Moodboard/cover made by me. Pics from Pinterest.)

Pairings: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: Anxiety attacks

Words: 3,737

Summary: After the events of Endgame, and the death of the three people you cared most about, will you be able to move on?

A/N: Sorry this took so long! Our exams start tomorrow, so by next week I’ll try to be as consistent as possible with uploading fics because school would be over for me by then. As for the people who requested, they might take a while to make but don’t worry! I promise I’ll get them all done.

~Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist~

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When you woke up, you found yourself attached to multiple wires. You felt cold, hard metal on your back and a helmet-like thing on your head. There were thick cuffs attaching your hands, feet, and torso to the metal bed.

It was highly uncomfortable. Especially because the “bed” was slanted. You felt the wires digging into your skin and the metal structure of the “helmet” was pressed against your skull.

The scenario felt very familiar to you. It was always how Bucky had described them except, he had the luxury to sit on a chair instead of lying awkwardly on a slanted metal platform.

You’re not really sure on what they’re planning to do to you, but you had a slight idea on what it was. The obvious one would be mind control. Although, you’re not really sure because if they had kidnapped you for your tech, they wouldn’t be able to know how it worked without you.

And it wasn’t like they could turn you into some Winter Soldier, right? You were a really great fighter but your skills leaned more towards mechanical engineering. If they could somehow make you ten times better at fighting, mind control would make more sense. 

But they wanted your tech. If they controlled you or if they erased your memory, they wouldn’t have the advantage of knowing how to operate what they worked incredibly hard on to steal.

Your train of thoughts were interrupted though when you heard a series of footsteps getting closer to the room you were in. They sounded like heavy boots accompanied by several weapons of some sorts. By the way they sounded, they were most likely guns. 

Whoever these people were, they had been notified of your consciousness. And as much as you wanted to try and escape, you couldn't. 

Not only are you tied to the metal bed, but you’re also paralyzed. It wouldn’t help if you spent a lot of your energy trying to break free when it was clear that you couldn’t.

And for some reason, everything felt different. You couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there was a slight difference in the way the air felt. It was like the atmosphere was suffocating you. Like you didn’t belong there.

The only logical reason you could think of was that you were still trying to adjust to being connected to a bunch of machines; and because you didn’t actually belong there. Maybe it was your brain going insane because of the situation.

When you heard the door open, you couldn’t see who the people were. Your head was staring straight forward and the door was out of your line of sight. They had entered the room and closed the door, then stopped walking.

They were most likely trying to hide their identities or mocking your paralyzed state.

From the right side of the room, you heard a man speak. It was commanding and emotionless, a voice you didn’t recognize. 

The words he spoke sent chills up your spine and dread to take over you as the first bead of sweat drips down your forehead.

“Miss Stark. I think it’s time we get acquainted, don’t you think?”

---

“What do you mean you can’t track her?!” 

Saying that Bucky was angry would be the understatement of the century. They couldn’t track you. Not even with the satellite you and Tony had created to scan the world for anyone who had the tracker implanted in them.

The satellite was to be used for emergencies only and the tracker was only activated when the satellite was. And now that they were using it, they couldn’t find you. You weren’t anywhere.

Bucky couldn’t bear the thought of you being in the hands of Hydra. Especially when they didn’t even have any clue on where to start looking.

“The satellite says that she isn’t anywhere, Bucky. This isn’t my area of expertise so excuse me for not knowing how to find her.” 

Bruce was rarely ever this stressed. He always tried to stay calm in these situations because he believed that panicking or fighting wouldn’t help and would only slow down whatever progress they had. 

But at that moment, he was at the brink of having a breakdown. If it wasn’t obvious enough, the young Stark meant the world to them. They had loved her ever since the first time Tony introduced you to the team and they had all made a silent vow to protect you.

The guilt coursing through them now was indescribable. They couldn’t protect you from your own self-destructive behaviours and they couldn’t protect you from Hydra. They failed to be there for you when you needed them the most.

Instead, you were the one to put on a brave face to prioritize their health and safety after the blip and the war.

All of them were scared, but no one was as terrified as Bruce, Rhodey and Happy. Tony had trusted them with Y/N and they had promised to take good care of her.

They loved her to death. Being as clueless as they are now only made them think about how there’s a chance of losing the kid they practically thought of as their own.

After a few minutes of pacing, Happy had had enough. He was breathing heavily and he was trying his best not to pull his hair out. But he knew that freaking out wouldn’t be a good way of handling the situation. The priority was to find you as fast as they could.

But they weren’t really succeeding in that. All they had was a hologram, a letter for Peter and a broken fucking satellite. 

“Ok, let’s think about this. Hydra could have stolen her tech. Why kidnap her? And where would they take her? They should obviously know better than to think that Y/N’s going to tell them how this dimension shit works, right?” Sam spoke. He was, by far, the calmest out of all of them. That didn’t mean he actually was though. 

“If they have someone like me, it would make sense why they’d kidnap her.”

Everyone turned to look at Wanda as she responded. Her head was hung low and her eyes were glazed over with tears as she tapped her foot against the floor endlessly.

As the realization dawned on them, they all released a shaky breath of worry. If someone were to read your mind, they would know how to take control of your tech and would possibly see the future plans you have for it.

But that’s not what they were afraid of. Once Hydra’s got what they wanted, what would they do to you? After all, you’d be useless to them if that’s the case. 

They needed to get to you. Fast. As long as you were an asset to them, you would surely stay alive. God knows what they’d do to you, but at least you wouldn’t be dead.

“Don’t worry too much though. I taught her how to detect and resist mind reading. I don’t know how good she is, but I hope she can at least fight them off for a while.” Wanda continued, nervously fiddling with her fingers. You were like a sister to her, and she was internally freaking out about your possible whereabouts.

Rhodey and Strange, on the other hand, were both quiet. Although Stephen hasn’t known you for a while, he has to admit that he’s grown quite fond of you. Taking care of you was his own way of thanking your father for his sacrifice, and that’s exactly why he’s around the compound a lot.

“Maybe we can trace her suit?” Rhodey suggested. “Earlier in the lab, I didn’t notice her suit, so maybe she brought it with her and—”

“And the wall was closed.” Bruce interjected in realization. None of them knew about the new suit you were building or that you had built a new dimension behind your wall up until they saw the hologram you recorded. “The suit she built— it wasn’t there when we looked for Y/N. Her lab was clean and the wall where she hid the dimension she built was closed. They must have stolen it.”

“We already established that they stole her tech. Why is this important?” Bucky sassed. He wouldn’t usually be like this. Most of the time he was quiet so they were all trying to adjust to this version of Bucky they were seeing. The team understood him though. Bucky has always been very protective of you.

“They figured out how to surpass Y/N’s coding and they figured out how to break into her system. They managed to close the wall and they even broke into Friday.” Bruce takes a deep breath, knowing that the rest of the people there might not like what he’s going to say next. “Who else do we know who’s as familiar with Y/N’s tech as much as Y/N herself?”

“No!” Wanda yelled. “It’s not a good idea if we get Peter involved. Come on Bruce, give the kid a break.”

“I agree with Wanda. I don’t think Peter’s in the right state of mind to handle something like this.” For the first time since they got in the jet, Stephen finally spoke.

“We could try Wakanda? I’m sure Shuri wouldn’t mind helping us. Especially since it’s Y/N.” Happy said as everyone stared at him in surprise. A silent agreement being between everyone being made, determination clear on their faces.

---

Peter felt tears running down his face as he knocked on their apartment. He usually didn’t like it when aunt May saw him cry, but all he could think about now was how much he wanted May to hug him. 

He knew that May would be upset by the break-up. May thought of you as family and held you close to her heart so Peter didn’t know how to break the news to her.

May opened the door, the smile on her face disappearing in a matter of seconds when she saw Peter’s tear-stained face. It reminded her of when he had lost the “Stark Internship”.

Peter hadn’t even entered the apartment when he felt Mays motherly arms wrap around him. He instantly embraces May as well, his head on her shoulder as a new set of tears went down his face.

Pulling away, May held her nephew’s hand, leading him onto the couch and hugging him once more as Peter struggled to contain his sobs.

“She’s gone, May. I broke up with her.” 

She hugs Peter tighter after a slight gasp, burying her head more into Peter’s neck as she shed some tears herself. If she was feeling heartbroken by the news, she could only imagine how Peter felt.

They stayed like that for a while until she had heard Peter soft snores indicating that he had fallen asleep. A part of her wanted to wake him up to tell him to go rest in his room, but as she looked at his unconscious state, she thought that she’d let him sleep. 

Because she knew that when Peter was asleep, he wouldn’t feel the heartbreak. So she’d let him be, and she'd wait until he was comfortable telling her the reason for the break up. 

---

Peter woke up panting. His chest was rapidly going up and down and sweat was covering his body. And despite his sweating, the hairs on his arm and on the back of his neck stood upwards. 

His head frantically looked around the room, his eyes tearing up and rapidly looking at his surroundings. He didn’t know why, but his senses were heightened and his brain was going a thousand miles per hour. 

Everything felt very overwhelming and he didn’t know how to handle it. It’s never been this bad for him before. He felt like he was having a panic attack and sensory overload at the same time.

It was about 5 o’clock when he woke up on the couch with a blanket covering his body. The jolt of what felt like electricity spread all over his body and he was shaking and thrashing around on the couch.

At this point he tears were streaming down his face and his clothes were soaked in sweat. He was crying, and he was sure that he would wake up May.

His theory was proven to be correct when his aunt came rushing out of her bedroom shouting his name and repeatedly asking him if he was ok.

Peter barely felt May gently cupping his face so she could see him better because to him, everything was a blur. His whole body was on fire.

Even when May started slightly shaking him to get his attention, it didn’t work and he was still in pain. He couldn’t see May’s face properly through the tears in his eyes and May was starting to panic.

She didn’t know what was happening to her nephew and she was starting to tear up at the thought of Peter in this much pain.

So, she did the only thing she could think of. She sat down next to him and held his hand, gripping it slightly to try and ground Peter. 

She couldn’t do much because whenever she touched Peter’s arm or wipe his tears away, he would flinch back because of how overwhelming it was to feel a tiny bit of friction on his skin.

As May held his hand, she whispered reassuring words to Peter to try and calm him down. It was no ordinary panic attack. Peter had had anxiety attacks before but it was never like this. Whenever his senses would act up, it wasn’t ever this bad.

“Pete, everything’s okay. I’m here and you’re safe,ok? Nothing to worry about.” The tone is her voice was laced with fear as she whimpered those words and her eyes started to blur with unshed tears.

Slowly but surely though, Peter’s breathing was starting to become normal, and his loud cries were starting to diminish. Seeing him calm down put a smile on May’s face. She bit her lower lip to try and stop a sob from escaping her mouth. She had to be strong for Peter.

“Hey, Peter.” she whispered shakily as she squeezed his hand a little tighter to let him know of her presence. Warily, she inched closer to Peter to try and see if it was ok for him. When he didn’t flinch, she moved to pull him into a hug and smiling when she felt Peter’s arms around her as well.

“What happened, Pete?”

“I-I, I don’t know May. Everything just felt too much.”

“Is it your Peter-Tingle?”

He giggled at that, finally feeling his senses return to normal. “I honestly don’t know May. It felt...different.”

When he let go, May reached out to ruffle his hair, smiling at him sweetly before standing up. 

“Come on. Back to bed. Looks like you need more rest than I originally thought, Peter.” She put her hand out for Peter to hold on to, and pulled him up to stand.

“I’m not sure I can get back to bed, May.” 

“Well, you should. If you can’t, I won’t force you to. Just...call me if you need anything, okay? Let’s talk about what that was some other time. You need to get some sleep.” she smiled lovingly.

“Sure, May. Goodnight”

“Good night. You sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle myself.”

“Whatever you say, big guy.” May said before she walked over to her room, giving him one last grin and shutting the door.

Looking at the time, Peter noticed that he had a few more hours until he had to go to school. He didn’t know whether he had it in him to go back to sleep, so he decided to use his phone and mindlessly scroll through his social media until he eventually fell asleep. 

It hurt to see pictures of him and Y/N together because for a moment, he had forgotten about the break up. He had forgotten about what had happened less than 24 hours ago. It hurt more to be suddenly reminded of it.

When he saw your pictures together, it brought back good memories that only made him feel pain. He didn’t like how the happy moments of your past relationship brought him heartache. It all felt too much and tears once again filled his vision.

He had ended up crying himself to sleep, hoping that he wakes up to a much better day.

---

School turned out better than Peter thought. Yes, he was still heartbroken but Ned and MJ distracted him enough to get through it. Flash didn’t seem to pay much attention to him anyway as well, which is something Peter found weird but also something he highly appreciated.

He decided to take a break from his Patrols in order to cope a little better, but if he was being honest, he missed going to the compound. He even talked about it with May and she happily agreed, thinking that her nephew should take a well-deserved break.

After about a week, he was feeling good and he found himself getting over you way quicker than he originally thought. Of course, he didn’t ignore the fact that Queens seemed to have missed their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man but he’d be back to his duties after a few more days.

For the first time in a while he was actually having a really great time at school because he didn’t need to think about any of his superhero responsibilities. He guesses that he just forgot that this was life before the spider bite.

But it was also his life before Y/N.

It was weird for him that he seemed to have gotten over you in a matter of 2 weeks and it was especially strange for Ned and May. They knew how much Peter loved you, and his recent behaviors were something they didn’t expect.

They could obviously see his sudden interest in MJ and it was driving them up the wall. They supported him, but they didn’t support how he seemed to act like he was never in a relationship with you.

For Peter though, it’s been a quiet 2 weeks. Save for Flash’s annoying remarks towards him and the… attacks?

On and off for straight two weeks he would have some sort of anxiety attack or sensory overload of some sorts. After the first one happened at their apartment, it occurred almost every day.

He had noticed a pattern to it.

He always woke up in a cold sweat every 4 or 5 in the morning, then everything would get overwhelming at 7 or 8 at night.

But those weren’t the worst parts.

What he hated the most was the pain that he would feel at any time of the day. He once thought he burned his arm during History class and at times he would feel like he got punched. Whether it be on his stomach, his face, his side it would happen randomly. 

He hadn’t told May in fear of making her worry, but he had to tell someone. So naturally, he told Ned.

It was something he had been trying to figure out for the past weeks. Something was messing with his senses early in the morning and at night. 

It was something he made up to be withdrawal from almost every night patrol to none at all. 

But he didn’t know what to think about the body pains.

“Maybe it’s your spider powers evolving?” Ned asked. 

He had invited Ned over at his apartment to originally talk about MJ but he couldn’t hide anything from Ned. It was killing him to keep it to himself.

The random aches were getting worse so it might as well actually kill him if he doesn’t figure out what’s happening. 

After a few minutes of contemplation, he exploded and told Ned everything. And if Ned was being honest, he couldn’t take the MJ talk. He supported his best friend, but he didn’t think that moving on to someone else when his break up with you was still fresh was a good way to move on so he didn’t really mind the subject change.

“I thought about that, but I’m not even sure if that can happen. And if my powers are evolving, why would it make me have random body pains?” Peter argued.

“Maybe it’s part of the process.” Ned shrugged.

“No, Ned.” Peter slowly stood up from his place on his desk chair and began pacing, his hands gesturing wildly as he spoke. “It feels like… I don’t know! It doesn’t feel like my body’s changing. It feels like it’s coming from external forces. Like that time I felt like I was being electrocuted, or that time where my stomach felt like it was being punched. The worst was when… was when I would feel needles on my skin then my whole body would feel like it was on fire.” 

Neds stands up and places his hands on Peter's shoulders, making Peter look up at him with tears in his eyes

“Peter, calm down.” Ned began as he slowly let go of Peter’s shoulders. “Can’t you call Bruce Banner or something? Or— what about Doctor Strange? Maybe they’ll know what to do.”

“It’s not that easy Ned. I’d have to go to the compound and—”

“And see YN?” Ned interjected.

Peter could only look away in guilt. He’d take all of the pain as long as he didn’t have to see you. He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly gets interrupted by his phone ringing.

He grabbed his phone from his desk and looked at the caller I.D and upon realizing that it was Bruce, he answered.

“Hey Mr. Banner! I actually have to tell you something—”

“You can tell me when you get here, Pete” Bruce’s voice was stern. It was demanding.

“Where? At the compound?” He answers, his voice slightly wavering at the thought of possibly seeing you again. 

“No. Wakanda. We’ll send Strange and—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Wakanda?! Why??”

There was a moment of silence between the two. A worried sigh was heard through the phone after a few moments followed by two words that made Peter’s heart stop.

“Y/N's missing.”

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Make Me Believe - Part 7

Senior Year: F is for Finals and Feelings and Failure

Masterlist  -  Series Masterlist  -  Part 6  -  Part 8

Summary: You keep meeting Bucky Barnes in unexpected places around campus and he keeps acting like you know each other, like you’re dating. As your friendship grows, you find yourself wishing he’d do more than pretend.

Warnings: swearing, drinking, 2 idiots doing their idiot routine

Word Count: 1900

Bucky dragged you down the block with your arm locked under his as you approached the club. The thundering music reached your ears long before you spotted the serpentine queue of patrons waiting to slip inside.

“Bucky, no,” you groaned.

You were not a huge fan of clubs, generally, but this club in particular was at the bottom of your list. It was flashy and gimicky, and way too expensive. Worse yet, every other night was a theme night, each one more ludicrous than the last.

“Oh yes,” he chuckled, holding your arm tighter and pushing forward. “It’s perfect. It’s too laughable to take seriously. We need to lighten up. This is our new friend-date spot.”

You sighed, ceding the point. One more night. “What’s the theme tonight?”

“Tight and bright,” he grinned, spinning you with a flourish out from your spot tucked into his side. Suddenly the vibrant outfit made perfect sense. Your brightest yoga pants fit right in with the line ahead and the light sweater Bucky had picked was already glowing violet under the club's ultraviolet haze.

“How come you’re not in dress code?,” you demanded as you came to a stop outside the door. With tequila still heavy on your tongue and buzzing in your fingertips and toes, you nearly stumbled into him.

“Don’t need to. How many times have I told you, make friends with bouncers.”

“Uh never? You said bartenders.”

“Okay fine, befriend b-people. Bouncers, bartenders…” he trailed off, trying to think of another.

“And Buckys,” you smirked, tapping his nose with the tip of your finger.

He laughed and took your hand before stepping to the door. The bouncer knew him immediately and they shared a short, loose hug and a few casual words. After a quick scolding about dress code, he let the both of you through.

It was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia. If only Narnia was a bad 80’s fantasy. The lights were dim and there was artificial fog rolling low on the floor. Brightly colored laser lights flashed across the room in erratic patterns. Everything was plastic and fiber optic.

Exactly how you remembered it: flash and gimmick.

The patrons wore very little, thin and short neon spandex dresses, tight denim in light washes that glowed violet under the blacklight. The staff wore even less, illuminated by the glow of the bar, or the play of light off the fog. One bartender leaned forward with a tall royal blue drink complete with swirly straw and a bright red maraschino cherry.

Another wandered past in roller skates and spandex shorts, holding a tray of jello shots. He stopped and offered one to you and Bucky. You reached for your wallet, but before you could withdraw the cash, Bucky had embraced the man and stood laughing over something shouted in his ear over the rumble of the club.

“Don’t worry about it, honey,” the man waved you off before disappearing into the crowd.

“You really do know everyone.”

He shrugged and guided you deeper into the fray where you danced and drank until you forgot every last one of the million reasons you shouldn't.

After a full night of sugary drinks in jello cups and fake syringes and plastic test tubes, the pair of you were beyond drunk. You stumbled into the cool night air, tucked under Bucky’s arm, nearly doubled over laughing. You’d danced and laughed and drank until you were dizzy and couldn’t tell which of those three was the reason.

“‘M tired, and it’s so hot. ‘M skipping my run with Steve tomorrow,” Bucky slurred as you pointed down the sidewalk in the direction of his apartment.

“Tha’s fair,” you agreed, “Think I sweat off more per ounce than I drank.”

Bucky snorted his disagreement. “We had a lott of jello shots. Jello’ssstill alcohol.”

“But I dinn’t drink it; I ate it,” you argued, stumbling into his side. “‘Cause it’s a solid.”

“Is it?” His face scrunched up in thought. It made you giggle and want to lean up on your toes and kiss his crinkled nose. “Or is it a non-newtonian fluid?”

“Nooo, ‘cause issa square.”

“Oh yeah,” he frowned.

“C’mon, engineer, you should know this!” you teased, pinching his side.

He laughed and folded over, dragging you down too with his weight across your shoulders. This was where your heart lightened, where it became so difficult to let go. The laughter came easy and the trepidation faded to a shadow with every squeeze of your shoulders, the warmth of his laughter in your ear.

“Notthat kind,” he defended. “Mechanical doesssn’t care ‘bout jello. But Tony would know!” he lit up with excitement. “Let’s call Tony!”

“Bad idea, Bucky!” You snatched the phone from his clumsy fingers and smiled softly at his pouting. “It’ss 1:30 in the morning an’ you’re gunning for an internship at his dad’s company.” You pointed at his chest with a clumsy jab. “Plus, you know I’m right.”

“You’re so smart,” Bucky mumbled, squeezing you tight to his side. He kissed the top of your head and you laughed, too drunk to be upset, too happy to realize you should know better.

You really should know better.

Surely, this was merely the high before the next crash that would break your heart all over again.

“Я тебя люблю,” he muttered against the crown of your head. (I love you.)

“Hmm?” you giggled.

“Но ты мой друг,” (But you're my friend.) he complained dropping his cheek against your hair. “Но ты больше чем просто друг.” (But you're more than just a friend.)

This was how you knew Bucky was well and truly drunk. He had a penchant for languages that astounded you. There was no foreign language requirement for an engineering degree, but Bucky had somehow managed to take on three, that you knew of. Meanwhile you and Steve struggled through French together, barely remembering simple verb conjugations while Bucky was nailing case endings in multiple alphabets. Clever bastard.

“Bucky I can’t understand you,” you chuckled as you made it to his doorstep.

“Что мне делать?” he asked, warm palms braced against your cheeks. (What should I do?)

It felt clumsy and strange but the way he was staring at you, had your brow furrowed, trying to see. Confused and drunk and entranced you shook your head slowly, trying to convey again that you couldn’t understand a word he said.

He looked down at you with big serious eyes and a deepening frown. There was a strange sadness to the turn of his lips and the softness in his eyes. As if, by shaking your head, you'd answered his question without meaning to or even knowing how.

“Но я думаю... я влюблен в тебя.” (But I think… I'm in love with you.)

You pursed your lips, watching the odd play of earnest feeling and drunken glassiness dance across his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re saying, Buck. Let’s just get you into bed.”

Upstairs, Natasha woke to the shuffle of clumsy drunken feet and the hush of giggling voices below Steve’s window.

“Everything okay?” Steve asked, seeing her shift upright and peer out the window, down onto the stoop where you and Bucky approached the apartment Bucky shared with Steve.

She sighed but didn’t lay back down, watching, listening. “Our idiots are here,” she whispered.

“They patched things up; that’s a good thing,” Steve mumbled. He winced at the light from his phone as he checked the time. “Bucky’s been a pain in the ass for weeks.”

“It’s not a good thing for her,” Natasha complained. She remained pressed to the window, listening, making sure they made it inside when she heard it. Bucky and his stupid mouth. She froze for a moment. “ ‘M gonna kill ‘em both.”

The following morning Bucky stumbled out of bed with the acidic bite of nausea on his tongue and the pulse of a hangover deep in his skull.

His first coherent thought was, Never again. Followed quickly by, How the hell did I get home?

He finally made his way downstairs, still scrubbing the water from his freshly showered hair. Steve stood across the counter from Natasha. Bucky didn’t bother to greet either on his path to the coffee pot.

“You seen Y/N?” he asked as he poured a cup. “Thought she would’ve stayed here last night.”

His eyes flicked up to his friends and he finally registered the hostility brewing icy and dark. Natasha stood resolute. Her glare beat against him like an early winter’s sleet.

“She slept on the couch, I think,” Steve explained around a mouthful of oatmeal. “Left an hour ago. Not even she can withstand the wrath of Romanoff for that long.” He grinned, clear blue eyes darting to his partner’s. She didn’t spare him so much as a glance for his playful jab.

“Ты идиот,” (You’re an idiot.) Natasha seethed quietly before taking a quick spoonful of grapefruit.

“What?” Bucky returned her glare.

“У тебя есть чувства к ней.” (You have feelings for her.)

“What are you talking about,” Bucky focused too closely on his cup.

Natasha rolled her eyes and let the spoon fall heavily onto the edge of her plate. Its loud clank rang through the apartment like a shot.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about,” she leveled at him. “She might not understand your second hand Russian but I do.”

“I don't even remember coming home so…”

She only glared. Not accepting his excuses, however true they may be. You don’t fall in love with someone over one drunken night. To her, the pertinent facts remained unchanged. He was lying and they both knew it.

She hadn’t so much as mentioned his return the night before; he did because he knew exactly what she was talking about.

“I thought you weren’t going to interfere?” Steve smirked, leaning his hip on the counter.

Her sharp gaze snapped to Steve for a moment before she finally pointed an angled hand toward Bucky in frustration. “He’s in love with her.”

Steve laughed while Bucky sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead, too hungover to parry this attack.

“Well obviously. Have you seen them together?” Steve chuckled between sips of black coffee. “They’re like an old married couple. Best friends my ass.”

“You have to tell her,” Natasha scowled at Bucky.

“I have to tell her nothing,” he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall with his eyes closed.

“But you’ll say it in a thousand ways she can’t understand? Confusing the both of you? Keeping her close enough to make you feel just good enough? You never say what’s important when it counts, do you.”

“I tried! She’s with that Quill guy!” Bucky defended. “If I tell her now I’m just the asshole who poisoned that and ruined this.” He gestured to himself, shaking his head in defeat.

“Идиот.” (Idiot.) Natasha shook her head with a deep frown while Bucky threw his hands out in frustration. “Bы оба” (Both of you.) “He broke up with her at the end of last term, Bucky!”

Even hungover as hell and stinging from the pain of this conversation, his attention snapped at her revelation.

“What?” he rasped. “Why didn’t she tell me? What happened?”

“You, Bucky.” The crease in Natasha’s brow deepening as she wondered how he could be so goddamn dense. “She wouldn’t give you up.”

Next Chapter >>

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IIT Bhubaneswar Invites Application for 3-week Winter Internship, College Students can Apply

IIT Bhubaneswar Invites Application for 3-week Winter Internship, College Students can Apply

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneshwar has invited applications for its winter internship in the fields related to basic sciences, earth, ocean and climate sciences, electrical sciences, infrastructure, mechanical sciences, humanities, social sciences, and management and minerals, metallurgical and materials engineering. The online application began on October 22 and the last date…